Work in progress : towards the establishment of a Maltese National Register of Archives

Abstract

The National Archives is currently building up a new web-site that aims to reach the public in innovative ways. It will make it possible for patrons to order copies of records and make online payments using the government payment gateway. Another achievement of this web-site will be the facility of an on-line National Register of Archives (NRA). This idea is not new to Malta, and was repeated over and over again during the last sixty years. However, the availability of the internet, and the present structures of the National Archives make it possible to have this vision come true. This article traces the background to this development, and also presents a first snapshot of the benefits which this NRA will provide to the public and to scholars.