The National Archives of Malta : twenty years after the first legislation

Abstract

Way back in 1971 the first attempts were made to set up a central government archives at Casa Leone in Santa Venera. Later the archives were moved to the Palace in Valletta, from where a dedicated service was given to the few researchers who frequented what was known as 'the Palace Archives'. In 1990, the Maltese Parliament approved the National Archives Act which established the National Archives of Malta as the main entity responsible for public archives. As time passed by the need for a new legislation was felt, especially to strengthen the records management aspect of the 1990 Act. This came about in 2005 with the National Archives Act (V, 2005). This article looks back at the last twenty years from the first national archives legislation in Malta, and highlights actions taken by the National Archives to facilitate access to its holdings. It also looks at what is being planned for the years to come.