The Gozo Public Library and its subsidiaries, 1853-2003

Abstract

One of the huge dilemmas for every University student is definitely the choice of subject for a dissertation. The prob1em arises especially with regards to the availability of original material that has to he researched. I feel that in my case this was exceptional Ever since my appointment as 'Custodian and Book Deliver' at the Gozo Public Library, way back in 1970, I have been collating all the data that I came across regarding libraries in Malta and Gozo. l am fortunate enough that the gathering of material for this dissertation was all available at my place of work. In order to understand the services rendered by the Gozo Library, one needs to go back in time to the first decades of nineteenth century. It was a time when books were very hard to obtain, when there were hardly any bookshops, and no Public Libraries at all. Illiteracy was strife. The Gozo Public Library, then known as Gabinetto di Lettura and Libreria di Societa, was still in its early infancy trying uneasily to establish itself as an educational institution. In the years that followed, this library became the focal point for reference and lending facilities. My aim in the present dissertation is to present a lively, readable and interesting account in chronological order from the earliest days of the developments that occurred throughout the years and moulded the history of the Gozo Public Library, the Gozo Lending library and the local branch libraries.