https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/11481 2026-04-15T06:36:21Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145377 Title: Enhancing student engagement in the middle and secondary school library : developing a practical resource for Maltese school librarians Abstract: School libraries today are vibrant and dynamic learning hubs that foster literacy, creativity, collaboration, and student well-being. International studies have highlighted the impact of school libraries on academic achievement, particularly when staffed by qualified professionals. In Malta, the potential and role of school libraries remain mostly unexplored, with no quantitative studies on student engagement carried out. A quantitative case study approach was carried out with 300 students in Years 7-10. This anonymous online questionnaire explored four main aspects: student perceptions of the librarian, the library space and resources, visiting habits, and student participation. The findings indicated that younger students tend to be more frequent visitors. Students consistently found the librarian to be friendly and supportive, readily offering help. Physical books remain popular, with a desire for varied genres, manga and graphic novels, together with greater computer access. Students view the library as a safe, welcoming place, but have shown a desire for better design and more seating areas. Many students expressed a desire for more active participation in the library. This dissertation investigates student engagement in a Maltese middle and secondary school library and how engagement can be enhanced. It contributes the first quantitative data on student library engagement in Malta and develops a practical toolkit for Maltese school librarians, helping to promote the school library and enhance student engagement through actionable knowledge. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145376 Title: Understanding the landscape of secondary trauma and archive in Malta Abstract: This thesis explores Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) among archivists and archival users in Malta who engage with traumatic collections documenting violence, abuse, and displacement. While STS is recognised in professions such as healthcare and social work, it remains largely unexamined in archival contexts, especially locally. Through interviews and qualitative analysis, the study finds that traumatic collections can trigger emotional and psychological responses consistent with STS, including empathic distress and emotional exhaustion. Although participants were unfamiliar with the concept, their experiences reflected its defining features. Coping strategies were improvised and individual, underscoring the lack of institutional policies, structured support, or trauma informed practices. The research identifies a gap between lived experiences and professional recognition, and recommends measures such as content warnings, mental health resources, and trauma-awareness training. By situating Malta within international discourse, this study highlights archives as affective spaces requiring both ethical responsibility and protective practices. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145375 Title: Ad maiorem Dei gloria : the archive of the Jesuits in Malta Abstract: This dissertation investigates the archival legacy of the first Jesuit presence in Malta (1592-1768), focusing on the processes of identification, reconstruction, and cataloguing of the Order’s dispersed records. Drawing on international case studies of displaced archives and the historical context of archival fragmentation in Malta, the study positions the Jesuit case within broader debates concerning provenance, custodianship, and archival restitution. It explores the Jesuits’ 176-year presence on the island, from their arrival in 1592 to their expulsion in 1768, during which they developed a comprehensive documentary system to support their religious, educational, and administrative missions. Through a detailed analysis of the surviving archival material, primarily located at the Cathedral Archives and the National Library of Malta, this dissertation attempts to reconstruct the structure and purpose of the original Jesuit archive, with particular attention to key series, such as those described as Libro Giornale, Libro Maestro, and Libro Messe. The study also examines two inventories compiled at the time of the expulsion, which serve as invaluable tools for tracing lost or relocated volumes. It concludes that the Jesuits’ records were not destroyed, but rather appropriated and redistributed, resulting in a fragmented yet partly recoverable archival corpus. Rather than advocating for the physical reunification of these records, the dissertation argues for a digital reconstruction strategy, grounded in respect for original provenance and current custodianship. This virtual reunification offers a sustainable and scholarly solution to the challenges posed by archival displacement, enabling access while preserving institutional continuity. By merging archival theory with historical research and practical cataloguing experiments, this study hopes to contribute to the fields of archival science and Jesuit historiography. However, it affirms the value of reconstructing displaced archives as both a methodological imperative and an ethical responsibility, ensuring the preservation and accessibility of collective memory. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144939 Title: An archival approach to the tribunal armamentorum and corsairing regulation between 1605 and 1798 Abstract: The Tribunal Armamentorum (TAR) was a tribunal founded in 1605 by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (1601-1622) to regulate corsairing in Malta and Gozo. It remained active until 1798 when it was abolished by the newly instituted French Government. The records and documents which make up the archive have attracted historical attention; however, the literature is lacking an investigation of the TAR as an institution in its own right. The aim of this dissertation is to provide a different perspective on this tribunal by focusing on its role as an archival creator. The research addresses three questions: how the TAR functioned as an administrative and judicial body; how these functions are reflected in its archive; the custodial history of the documents after the Order’s expulsion from Malta; archival gaps and rearrangements. Using a qualitative methodology grounded in documentary analysis and structured in three case studies, the study reconstructs the TAR’s administrative system across two centuries of legislative change. Central to this study is the analysis of four corpora of law and the current arrangement of this archive. The findings demonstrate that behind an expedition into the waters of Barbary and the Levant lay paper, production of records and bureaucratic density. As is reflected in the documentation, in conducting its functions the TAR made use of a wide range of instruments, ranging from petitions, licenses, reports, oaths and rulings. The TAR did not operate in a vacuum but in an integrated Mediterranean-wide multi-legal framework and evolving diplomatic networks. These complexities are reflected in the records and through litigations opened by individuals from a variety of different contexts. Malta-based corsairing in the early modern period is treated as an extension of ‘holy war’ against the enemies of Christendom. Behind this veneer lay fortunes, money, and a thirst for riches. Financial disputes were a unifying thread across its documentation. Within the TAR’s archive unfolds the enforcement of law, the livelihood of a state and its people, religion, and diplomacy. The dissertation makes several contributions. It provides an archival and institutional history of the TAR; sheds light on the history of the records after the abolishment of the tribunal, situates Maltese tribunals within Mediterranean legal and diplomatic history; highlights the archival connections between the TAR and dispersed repositories; and deepens understanding of how recordkeeping shaped early modern regulation. In a tangible manner are brought to the fore the consequences of historical ruptures on archives. This research enriches the history of corsairing, expands the study of Maltese early modern tribunals, and opens pathways for future investigations into related archives and institutions. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z