Facilities for the research worker at the National Library of Malta

Abstract

Almost twenty-two years ago, when the library of the University was still housed in the old building of the University in Valletta, a fictitious Greek professor, Aghios Spiridionidis, made two brief appearances in "Ix -Xewka" (13 .11.1965 and 1.1.1966). The Professor had decided to spend two weeks of study at the 'Bibljoteka', but he had to cope with less than ideal study conditions: the entrance to the Archives looked more like a store of wooden plans -a great fire hazard; the so-called' Silence Room' , where one was supposed to be able to work in peace and quiet, away from the noise and bustle of the Main Hall, was out of bounds because it was cluttered with shelves containing newly-purchased modern English fiction. When he was shown to the only quiet corner, next to the Librarian's Office, he was assailed by a variety of calls from the street vendors who besieged the whole place every morning up to the first stroke of noon; when he asked for a coffee to be brought to his table, he was told to go to one of the coffee shops below. By mid-afternoon the Professor had developed a need to go to the toilet, but he was directed to go round the corner, to Strait Street, because the Royal Malta Library offered no toilet facilities to the 'public'; finally, most of the documents he requested were either being used by someone else, or could not be traced.