Melitensia
The National Library
collection comprises published material in the form of books,
pamphlets, newspapers, journals and single-sheet items -
as well as audio and visual recordings - by Maltese authors,
or on any subject related to the Maltese Islands. The material
is kept separately in two sections, namely the Old and the
New Melitensia sections. The Old section comprises works
published up to 1955 and the New section works published
from that year onwards. In accordance with legal deposit
legislation, the library is given a copy of every locally
published work free of charge. Another copy is delivered
to the Gozo Public Library. Additional copies of such material
are purchased by the National Library in order to facilitate
access and consultation.
Apart from locally published Melitensia, the National Library
strives to acquire similar material published abroad. Besides
works of direct relevance to the Maltese Islands, the National
Library specializes in published material regarding the Order
of St John of Jerusalem. Rare or antiquarian items of Melitensia
lacking in the National Library are also occasionally purchased
to enhance the collection.
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The National Library's Melitensia collection has been greatly
enriched over the years with bequests by various individuals.
Among the most important of these are those of Count Messina,
Magistrate Parnis and, more recently, Dr. Louis Galea.
A considerable part of the National Library's Melitensia
collection is made up of newspapers and other periodical
literature, published either locally or abroad but of
direct interest to Maltese affairs. Among the latter are
to be found a number of newspapers published by Maltese emigrant
communities in various countries.
The earliest material dates back to 1798, when the newly
established French administration in Malta published the
first local newspaper - the Journal de Malte. Ten issues
of this short-lived gazette are known to have been published,
of which only some are available at the National Library.
During the British Protectorate (1800-1814) Foglio d'Avvisi (1803-1804), L'Argo (1804), Il
Cartaginese (1804-1807) and
Giornale di Malta (1812-1813) succeeded each other as the
only locally published periodical literature. From 1813 onwards,
the local administration started publishing the Gazzetta
del Governo di Malta. This continued to be published, with
some changes in its title and format, down to the present
day. All of these newspapers are to be found in the National
Library's collection.
A fundamentally important development in Maltese journalism
came with the granting of Freedom of the Press, by Ordinance
IV of 15 March 1839. This was to result in the publication
of a large number of newspapers in Italian, English and Maltese.
Since that date, a vast number of periodical titles have
been published, covering practically all aspects of Maltese
social, political, cultural and economic life.
In 2000 the National Library published A Bibliography of
Nineteenth-century Periodicals in the National Library of
Malta Collection. The bibliography includes the periodicals
published in Malta between 1798 and 1900. The publication
is intended as a useful and updated research tool for scholars,
students and members of the general public interested in
the political, social and cultural history of Malta.
Apart from periodical literature of local relevance, the
National Library subscribes to a small number of foreign
newspapers and journals.
 Catalogues
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