NAM Newsletter 18 (2014)

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Charles J. Farrugia

Another year is over and the 18th issue of our Newsletter is communicating to you some of the

achievements we had during the last twelve months. As you can see from the photos a lot happened. It was a year during which we heard the views of the public about the sector during the National Forum on Archives. We also embarked on new projects such as the storage repository at Ospizio in Floriana that will cater for the

intermediary years till the project of the new building

gains momentum.

This year was also busy on the international front.

We intensified our active participation in the APEx

National Arohivist Charles J. Famugia accompanied by Assistant National Archivist Dr Joseph

Bezzina paid a courtesy visit to HE Marie­Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, 26 May 2014 photo­DOI Clodagh Farmgia O'Neill

project and we are now preparing the uploading of thousands of digital images on the portal. We

with the Friends of the National Archives we are publishing the fifth issues of the ARKIVJU journal. This will be available at the National

participated in the 4C project, the European Board of National Archivists and the European Archives Group meetings in both Athens and Turin.

to thank Mark Camilleri, president of the Malta Book Council for the

We are also proud that it was a year of opening up to new collaboration with a number of stakeholders.

Apart from the agreement for a second laboratory with HMML, we also reached a collaboration agreement with the Public Memory Archives of the University of Malta managed by Professor John Chircop. Another agreement was the MOU between the Centre de Recerca i Difusi6 de la

Book Festival on the stand managed by the Friends. We would like

support to have this stand and also to host during the festival our National Archives Annual Public lecture to be delivered by Canada­ based Marylyn Peringer as part of the Book Fest.

The greatest satisfaction which this year brought about was the call issued by OPM for the recruitment of records officers. The first group

of potential records officers have started their training at the Department of Library, Information and Archive Sciences within MaKS, University of Malta this October. I would like to thank Principal

lmatge of Girona, the Richard EIIis Archives and the

Permanent Secretary Mr Mario Cutajar for moving this forward and

National Archives.

also Ms Joyce Dimech from OPM and Professor Milena Dobreva from

In order to keep fulfilling our outreach obligations

we have emphasized a lot on the publishing aspect.

Partnership with lan EIIis from the Richard Ellis

Archive and BDL led to the publishing of a limited

edition of postcards to commemorate the centenary from the First World War. The second publishing

project was that of the Salter Album, produced in collaboration with the German Embassy. We are closing the year with the publishing of this newsletter, As in previous years, in collaboration

MaKS who have helped us achieve this milestone. I view this step as a breakthrough in the long term plan and struggle to establish sound

records management processes in Malta's Public Administration.

APEX ­the Prdiect tryAoEE`#,eat:aefyror:to The APEx (Archives Portal Europe ­ network of excellence)

been reviewed and prepared for consumption by the general

project has reached its final stages and the National Arohives of Malta (NAM), as one of the main partners of the project, have stepped up their efforts to fulfil the objectives set. The main scope of this project was to make the already catalogued

public. To this effect, a strategy to prepare the images for use was required. The images had various formats and sizes and these had to be standardised, at least per collection. Specific standards were tested and set and the laborious work of converting these images into usable items. Some of the images needed to be converted into more compact formats, others to be resized, some images had to be cropped and others bound together into volumes. I shall not get into the huge effort that was required to find valid solutions for all the issues that arose but all issues were tackled.

material available in an online portal.

Much of the metadata that the NAM had, resided on MS Access databases, MS Excel sheets or even MS Word documents. During the past months many of these catalogues or databases have been converted to EAD XML (Encoded Archival Description extensible Markup Language) that can be read (and utilised) in most of the latest databases. Whilst this is

a relatively easy procedure, the learning process was relatively complex, simply because it was hard to find local experts in the area, with whom to discuss the correct transformation. Having identified efficient methods of converting the data, the conversion itself was not without its difficulties, mainly because of the vast variety of data that is extracted from the documents held at the archives. For example the data that is extracted from a passport application is very different from the data that can be extracted from the volumes of the Magna Curia Castellania or the Guljana Masini. Having identified various

processes and chosen the most suitable solution, the

The data, now on a server, with the relevant image attached, was ready to be sent to the Archives Portal Europe, right? Wrong.

One challenge that arose was that ICA­AtoM (lntemational Council of Archives ­ Access to Memory), an archivally strong software was relatively weak in the area of handling of digital images. Various solutions had been discussed with a

considerable number of local experts but no final solution had been identified and thus the Arohives decided to go it their own way. Solutions were identified for the teething problems that had thus far caused the service to be `irregular' (if we are to be kind) and they were rectified. Following a rethink of how to handle digital images, the solution was simple and relatively stable.

implementation of the solution started.

Members of staff were trained how to collate the data that already existed and transform it into EAD xml. The process is considerably laborious because the data (various thousands of existing records) that had been collected in databases during the previous ten to fifteen years, whilst having the necessary data for the researchers, did not follow any specific standards with regards to layouts and data requirements. Having members of staff and volunteers working on the conversion of metadata gave the Archives the required boost in confidence, that the metadata targets set for the project shall be achieved by the projected dates. Apart from having a wealth of digital information gathered in databases, the National Archives, through well planned and executed strategic partnerships, has created and collected millions of digital images of the existing paper collections. Most of these images had been, thus far, stored safely, but largely unutilised. It was now the right time to start utilising these images. The first test of the new found technical capabilities that the archives had developed came with the launch of the cabinet papers. The search facility that was to be offered to people in the reading room only proved a valid test. The search engine and front end were commissioned to a third party supplier. In the mean time one of the major issues was how to provide the service from the server, that was a couple of hundred feet away, to the reading room, preferably in a cheap manner and to multiple clients at the same time. A wired solution was not viable as the cost would be both high and inefficient (for multiple points to be created) so a wireless solution was tested and successfully installed. The cabinet launch proved to be quite successful.

Spurred on by this initial success, the next phase of the `project' was to attach the images to the metadata. In this scenario, an image is understood to be a digital representation of the actual document. Many of the existing millions of images had never

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With the challenge provided by the images resolved, the delivery to the Arohives Portal Europe (APE) became a simple transformation of data to the APE­EAD (a reduced version of the whole EAD schema that is used in the Archives Portal Europe) and the actual uploading of the xml files to the portal's server using some tools that are provided by the APE project team.

Even while you are reading this article, data is being prepared, images processed and finally ingested into the Arohives' database, AtoM, to be ready for use.

As a final note, I would like to thank all the members of staff and all volunteers and students without whose hard work and

patience the reality described above would have just remained a piece of fictional writing.

3

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#czzpeea Outreach is defined as those activities aimed at bringing the public closer to our business processes. We give a lot of attention to outreach as we believe this is the

only way to increase our audiences, and make archives more relevant to the aca­ demic community and the public at large. The photos reproduced here are some highlights from our outreach activity during the last year.

1. The National Archivist giving an introduction to the Naxxar Local Council group on 30­10­2013.

2. Assistant Archivist Joseph Amodio guiding History of Art BA(Hons) students on 10­05­2014.

3. Students from the Junior College viewing the Maitland document (CSG 23/1) on 7­12­2014.

4. Visit by the AGAPE group of Rabat 8­2­2014.

5. National Archives Forum held in Qormi on 19­2­2014.

6. The National Archives Annual Public Lecture delivered by Professor Kevin Aquilina on 3­12­2014.

7. Simon Dimech giving a demonstration with the use of the leaf casting machine in the laboratory for a tour of the Kumissjoni Nisa Qalbisti of Qormi on 28­11­ 2013.

8. The intervention of the national archivist during the Sound and Moving Image

Seminar at Sliema on 104­2014.

9. Experts on sound and vision brought to Malta through the initiative of Professor Milena Dobreva meeting the National Archivist on 94­14.

10. University Architecture group visit 9­1 ­2014.

11. Tourism Studies group following a lecture at the National Archives on 15­5­2014.

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HILL MUSEUM AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY ­22 SEPTEMBER 2014 An agreement was signed between the National Archives of Malta and the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) which forms part

of the Saint John's Abbey and University (Minnesota, USA). HMML has contributed extensively to the Maltese archives sector especially

through the efforts and vision of Chev. Joseph Micallef and the development of the Malta Study Centre which has international repute.

The agreement will provide for the setting up of HMML's second laboratory in Malta aimed at digitising the law court records for the French period (Epoca Gallica,1798­1800). The records to be digitized include three metres of law court cases with original pagination and bind­ ings which were added during the 19th century.

This is the second laboratory HMML will have at the National Archives. The first was opened soon after an agreement was signed in 2007. Up to now up to 1300 volumes of law court records dating back to the time of the Knights were digitised in that laboratory.

The new director of the Malta Study Centre Dr Daniel Gullo expressed his satisfaction at the professional way the Malta laboratory is man­ aged. He said that this augurs well for future collaboration. He also explained that the choice of the collection to be digitised was based on the international interest there is in studying that period in history. National Archivist Charles Farrugia said that the agreement will not

only safeguard the preservation of the records but also help the archives strengthen their users' services especially through the Archives Portal Europe.

This year we have also collaborated with other government entities and explored the possibility of giving employment opportunities under the LEAP project. We have been assigned Matthew Bugeja to work with us for a period of eight months. Matthew has been assigned under the direction of our Conservators. Following the initial training he is responsible for the preservation cleaning of the holdings. He has already finalized work on the records of the first storage hall. He has also supported Inspector of Records lvan EIlul on a number of specific assignments in respective departments.

...volunteerMaryBndtlng I have always had a passion for history. That is why, after retiring, I decided to volunteer to help out at the Malta Archives believing that I still have much to offer towards

society. Working on the digitisation of old documents and photographs has given me an opportunity to open a window on Malta's past identity. I take pride in knowing that I am

contributing to the preservation of these important documents for future generations to enjoy and look forward to continue my involvement in Malta's archival heritage.

B rea ki ng the Mou |d Asbs}s§iTt°8o:!s:eLcahtor On the 29thof July 2014, I attended on behalf of the National Arohives of Malta a one day course organized by the Preventive Conservation Department of The Bodleian Libraries, University of

with ample time for discussion and hands on practice. Various handouts with related information and procedures used by the Bodleian Libraries were also distributed to the participants.

Oxford. The topic was mould in library and archival collections.

Course Outline: Mould is ubiquitous. In order to better under­ stand the vulnerability of library and archival collections we need to understand how mould takes advantage of materials and the surrounding environmental conditions in order to grow.

The course was divided in two parts, the first done by Kristie Short­Traxler Head of Preventive Conservation of the Bodleian Libraries and the Second done by Alex Walker Preventive Con­ servator of the Bodleian Libraries.

The first part included a Powerpoint presentation where the fol­ lowing subjects where discussed: the biology of mould, the un­ derstanding of moisture materials and mould growth, different affects of deterioration on library and archival collections and health and safety issues. Following this first part a break fol­ lowed, during which I had the opportunity to have a short visit to the Conservation Laboratory, where a books and paper conser­ vator showed me the projects they were working on.

As an Assistant Conservator at the National Archives of Malta, I feel that attending this course has widened my knowledge on the subject making me more confident when dealing with mould. I can now compare our methodology of approach to those used by Bodleian Libraries and while confirming that we are using the right approach there are other procedures we may introduce which will help us deal better with mould problems. The various references and information given in the handouts will also help us to keep ourselves up to date with the latest procedures in use in this field.

I finally wish to thank the Fiends of the National Archive for their financial support which made my attendance to this course possi­ ble.

The second part consisted of a presentation discussing detection and assessment of mould, response procedures, possible treat­ ment steps, preventive measures and 2 case studies. The last part was a practical session which took place at the SERS Build­ ing in Oxford.

This course was attended by a group of 13 participants all being either conservators or curators from various fields. I personally found the course to be very interesting and informative enriched

Archive5Proce55ing MovingArchives byivanEliul I by Joseph Amodi'o This year the National Archives of Malta

During last summer the National

registered significant achievements in the

Archives had to move all the re­

area of Arohives Processing. An important

cords and shelving that were kept in

section opened for the first time for research­

the Rabat school repository to other

ers is the Cabinet Papers covering the pe­

premises in Floriana. The move

riod between 1962 and 1981. These unique,

consisted of over 2000 metres of

digitized documents attracted many re­

records including all the shelving

searchers from various fields such as the

and storing equipment. The new

press and professors of Modern History.

repository is located in the Ospizio complex in Floriana. By August the

Mr Mark Caruana who emigrated from Malta

move was completed and parts of

several years ago, is helping us build up an

the new repository have been

important database on passport application

equipped with 5 metre high

records, covering the period between 1900

shelving. Thanks to this move there

and 1920. Large cohorts of Maltese emi­

was a substantial increase in space

grated to Australia at that time. The Archives

which will enable us to continue the

is providing him with digital surrogates in

order for him to complete the database. This

process of accessioning historical records which to this day are still

valuable database will be available for con­

held in public entities.

sultation later on next year.

6

This is a paid advert

The Cabinet Papers

by Lcorard callus

The Cabinet composed is of the Prime Minister and the Ministers and is responsible for the general direction and control Of the Government of Malta" and "collectively responsible therefor to Parliament." (Constitution Of Malta, 79) The first constitution of Malta where the cabinet features was the 1961 Constitution, commonly referred to as the BIood Constitution. It stipulated that the Cabinet had the general direction and control of the Government of Malta and consisted of the Prime Minister and not more than seven other Ministers being members of the Legislative Assembly and collectively responsible to it. This Constitution entitled the Governor to

to form a Government only after reassurances that the Secretary of State was prepared to discuss these constitutional matters with him at an ealy dete; talks started in London in 1962. These provisions were amended and the Governor had no longer access to the Cabinet papers while the Prime Minister \^ras to ifrom the Governor about the general conduct of the Government. The provisions regarding the United Kingdom Commissioner were removed on the understanding that the Prime Minister will pass the papers he considers as concerning the United Kingdom's responsihilfty.

The Independence Constitution (1964) sets out the basic parameters for Cabinet that are still in force; unlike previous ones it does not put a limit on the number Of ministers that can be appointed. "The real wielder of power is the Cabinet, composed Of the Prime Minister and the other Ministers, and described in the Constituton as having the

general direction and control of government." (7T]e Maifese Constffufron and Constitutional History since 1813, Cremona JJ, 1991, pg 8]}.

the United Kingdom Commissioner was to be

On 3 February 2014, the Cabinet papers covering the period 27 August and 20 November 1981 were opened for research at the National Archives.

provided with copies of the Cabinet agenda, a list of all other matters discussed in Cabinet, a

Reference convention :

access the Cabinet papers, and stipulated that

statement of the decisions and conclusions that the Prime Minister considered as affecting the United Kingdom's responsibility for defence and foreign affairs as well as all papers laid before Cabinet related to these matters.

Fonds

Series

CAB

when he was invited by the Governor to form a

responsibility for the police and the public

services as well as regarding the access to

File

Item

Page

Borg Olivier (001)

Minutes (01) NAM

government after the February 1962 elections, Dr Giorgio Borg Olivier expressed reservations about the constitutional provisions regarding

Administration

Holding

Mintoff (002) Borg Olivier (001)

Memos (02)

Mintoff (002) Borg Olivier (001)

Agenda (03)

Mintoff (002)

Cabinet papers. In fact, Dr Borg Olivier accepted

Mee{in§oithe(thEuroieanHeal§olcon§ervationlel¢inAthen§,IrlanMthlune!114 b\' }1ario \', Gauci

On 3 and 4 June 2014, the Central Office of the General State Archives of Greece hosted the sixth informal meeting of Heads of Departments of Conservation of Euro­

the urgency of the works to be carried out.

pean National Archives. This year, the main topic of discussion was Pfrori.{i.safl.on of conservaf/'on work. The chief conservators discussed the issue in general and in par­

Through this exercise, whilst conservation work

being given to damaged items, especially those

search activities. The meeting included a panel discussion, where conservators stated

that are to be handed out to researchers.

concerns and issues of the respective sections. These meetings are great opportuni­ ties for cooperation, exchange of views, experience and knowledge, and contribute to the joint promotion, promotion and resolving the issues of maintenance and conserva­ tion of the collections of European National Archives.

At the National Archives with more than 15 kilometres of shelving and being that the

staff compliment at the conservation laboratory is of two fully qualified conservators, a way had to be found to prioritise works in urgent need of attention whilst a programme of works would still be continued on a daily routine. The reading room is the place

where most items are handled. For this reason a tutorial was prepared for the person­ nel working here so that they would be able to identify and quantify damaged items and report them to the Conservation Lab for attention. They were instructed how to fill in an electronic Damage Report Form which describes the types and amount of dam­ age and also including location reference of the item in question. Once this form is received at the Laboratory immediate attention is given to the item in question and a

programme of works decided upon depending on the amount of damage present and

8

is ongoing on a collection prioritisation is also

ticular contexts, using audiovisual material, including results of operations and re­

This year was the best so far in terms of international participation and activity.

Our representatives are attending more events and taking participatory lead in them. We still hold the chairpersonship of the Association of Commonwealth

and Records Managers and have been active in a number of lcA activities.

1. Group photo of the archivists gathered for a meeting of the llfov Associa­

tion of Archivists where Charles Farrugia was guest of honour ­ Bucharest 13 May 2014

2. Addressing the conference commemorating the 10th anniversary from the re­foundation of the llfov County Archives in Romania on 14 May 2014

3. The two delegates representing Maltese archives at the Archives and Re­ cords Association of UK in Newcastle, August 2014. Charles J. Farrugia for the National Archives and Dennis Cole representing the Central Bank of Malta.

4. Presenting the paper on the Richard Ellis Archive at the lcA Conference in Girona on 14 October 2014. This was a joint paper co­authored with Mr lan EIlis. (Photo: Andre Porto Ancona Lopez)

5. Family photo of European Archivists in front of the Zappeion in Athens

Greece during the EBNA/EAG meetings, 5 June 2014.

6. The delegation of the National Archives at Torino. From left to right: Assis­

tant national archivist Joseph Bezzina attended the APEx Country Manag­ ers Meeting; national archivist Charles J. Farrugia attended the EBNA and

FAG meetings and held discussions at the RAI regional offices of Torino; APEx project Manager Etienne Ferrito attended the APEx meetings includ­

ing the Executive Steering Committee.

7. In May 2014 we collaborated with the Department of Library, Information

and Archives Sciences in the Sound and Moving Images Seminar organ­ ised by Professor Milena Dobreva. Apart from an information stand and a group of five members of staff who actively participated , national archivists Charles J. Farrugia delivered a presentation about the National Memory Project.

8. An agreement was signed with the Public Memory Archive of the University of Malta to create collaboration with the National Memory Project. The

project of the University was the brain child of Professor John Chircop.

Through this agreement the National Memory Project will benefit from the content of this oral archive, while the University of Malta will benefit from

the archives expertise of the National Archives.

TyhNoee,DEApa9a?aGallicaa{[heNa{ionalArchivesofMalta On September 22, 2014, an agreement was signed between the National Arohives of Malta and the Hill Museum and Manuscript

Library (HMML) of Minnesota to provide a second laboratory to digitize the law court records for the French period (Epoca Ga///.ca, 1798­1800). Since its first digitization agreement in 2007, the studio has digitized more than 1300 volumes of the original acts of the Magna Cur.a Caste//ani.a, the largest and busiest court on the island during the Order of St John in Malta.

The French domination of the Maltese islands although brief, left a deep and lasting impression on Maltese culture and society.

The radical reforms introduced by the new rulers in 1798, including

a new Civil Code of law which was introduced to the legal system of Malta were excessive in the eyes of the locals who were still largely dominated by two institutions ­ the aristocracy and the Church ­ and loyal to both. Nobles and general populace alike began to see Napoleonic laws as an attack on their beloved Church and a threat to their traditional way of life.

ln their criminal jurisdiction they could issue warrants of arrest against anyone suspected of having committed a crime in order to interrogate him before remanding him to the Criminal Court. They could award punishments not exceeding 15 days imprisonment or a fine of 24 francs; they had the right to draw a proces verba/ regarding the commission of any crime and order the arrest of suspects with the help of civil or military authorities. Advocates and other legal practitioners were precluded from pleading before Justice of the Peace. The parties in litigation had to attend and

plead their case personally.

The judges of the Civil Court exercised jurisdiction in civil matters in

first and second instance. Three judges had to preside concurrently in each case. They had to register all orders issued by the Government prior to sending them to the Justice of the Peace. In passing judgment, they were to be immune from interference from the civil or military authorities and they were bound to be expeditious in proceedings and curtail any unnecessary expenses by advocates or litigants.

During the French period, Malta was divided in 12 Municipalities.

Within three months of the French take­over,the Maltese revoltedand forced the occupiers to withdraw behind the fortifications of Valletta and the Three Cities. They remained in Malta until September 1800 when they capitulated to the British forces who had been called in to assist the Maltese in gaining their freedom.

The French juridical system

The preservation of the French legal records The legal records of the Epoca Ga///.ca are well preserved at the Legal Documentation Section at the Banca Giuratale, Mdina, the same location which in early September 1798 hosted the National Assembly formed by Notary Emanuel Vitale as a Supreme Commander and four deputies to plan and co­ordinate all future efforts against the French enemies and to find ways and means to get help from abroad.

The Justices of the Peace had a civil and a criminal jurisdiction.

They could decide lawsuits on personal rights and on movable

The Epoca Ga//i.ca jurisdiction documents witnessed the French

property with the right of appeal before the Civil Court where the value of the subject­matter in litigation exceeded 100 francs. The Justices of the Peace could also give judgement, without any right of appeal, on question involving the wages of employees, payment of work done, professional fees, and the maintenance suits where

turbulent scenario, including the uprising of the Maltese on 2

the amount did not exceed 100 francs. They were empowered to decree applications regarding appointment of tutors, curators, permission for minors to marry, emancipation of minors, and interdiction of persons.

September 1798. The collection consists of three metres of shelving, originally paginated which were bound in the late 19th

century. Documents were written in Italian but there are some significant communications and litigations in French. Several documents bear the new Constitution and the Republican concept Of Liberfe, Egalite, and Fraternit6.

Among the important documents in the collection, one finds the

trials and the summary execution of a handful of Maltese patriots of the French blockade, led by Dun Mikiel Xerri, Gulielmo Lorenzi and

Mattew Pulis. The inventory of the personal belongings of Dun

DELL.I TR^l)lTORl

Mikiel Xerri, including his extensive book collection which was

I,A r^,A ,

donated to the Seminary is of great significance. Also, worth of interest is a list that was affixed to a shop's door in Cospicua

GIl'bFpl.I llI\t.RIN.` `oshl­L.l''crt. `­.` ­­rJNCEN.`i` i A i``i'A r`'/\ t ` j.£ul

rAl'I0 t)'A\OL^, .i­` ,''t'c,I,I( ^DR.£J^Liv^TORE L^N.lL`N; ici tsi I

containing the names of Maltese inhabitants

a

REPUBtl2|!|,:¥#;S,?i. l\,O,i^Nr\­I I ,,.. LL ,.,, `,` .,,,

that were considered as traitors because they were collaborating with the French. The Epoca Ga///.ca collection also comprises an index volume of litigants, drawn chronologically

according to name headings.

nR:I._No` In `0 , ,,13L.i\ IIiL\ ' u cOMDM#.H^t..H*_:FS;;i#is`~`u:;.:­Du a­a:zT ` '1:?.> ­`./..­ I.i. a.A

¥|^L|'±f`,PrnNTP!^#::,I(",.\)` Li^tT^NL;, DE}`Eh:Ib.` .x i`` i.=¥­;Jzr=.i+i.,­­= ®

Ltl0..^NTONIO .P[ rE++L. `` :` :`+` bLrlLPLtl.` 'Zl`;I­Io `l'cll` fr\Lll{\+\` \

F`:.i=;­=::='i`

TA.::I:;F:_rfu:_'Zy=. a­. £4­, Lfty­­A ,­­.... I

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Sources: C.Testa, The French in Malta 1798­1800, (Malta: Midsea Books,1997) W.Hardiing, Maltese Legal History under British Rti/e /7807­7836/, (Malta: Progress Press, 1968)

GOZ0 ANNIVERSARIES 0N THE OCCASION 0F THE25{hANNivERSARyoFTHE|NAUGURAT|ONOFTHENATloNAIARCHIVESGOZ0

by Dr. I. Bezzin€,

Twenty­four November one thousand and eighty­nine was a memorable day for Gozo. That morning, Anton Tabone, Minister for Gozo, with Dr Ugo Mifsud­Bonnici, Minister for Education,

inaugurated the NAG ­the Gozo Section of the National Archives.

The idea of a National Archives for Gozo was of the former, the latter concurred with the plan.

Anton Tabone and Dr Ugo Mitsud­Bonnici inaugurating the NAG (24 Nov 1989).

The year 2014 marks a number of other important anniversaries in Gozo and it was decided to commemorate all of them with twenty­ five documents and twenty­five illustrations.

• 400 years ago, on 21 October 1614, Eugenio­Romirez The commemorative programme on the occasion of the inauguraton of the NAG (24 Nov 1989).

At that time, the majority, to be frank, were unaware of the happening notwithstanding that it was publicized as one of the official events commemorating the twenty­fifth anniversary of Malta Independent. The number of those who understood the necessity of an archive was negligible. By the passage of years, the institution has tried with success to make itself more present in the community. As a matter of fact, a steadily increasing number of people began to visit and make use of the fonds at the archives. The number of researchers at the NAG during 2013 was 449, a significant increase of more than 53% on the previous

year. The number of research hours amounted to 392, the number of items consulted to 768.

The annual exhibition at the NAG will this year commemorate, first

of all, this twenty­five year long achievement. The Archives

started with one fond, that of the Uni.versi.fas Gaudi.si.i. with about 300 volumes, and twenty­five years later it has been enriched by a total of twenty­seven fonds and around 16,000 volumes and items.

Maldonado, a former Governor of Gozo from Salamanca, donated a statue of Saint Ursula with a relic of her arm­bone to the Matrice, the present Cathedral Church.

I 200 years ago, on 18 February 1814, the dreaded bubonic plague that had raged in Malta the previous year, broke out in Xagflra­Gozo leaving some 104 victims.

• 150 years ago, on 16 September 1864, Blessed Pope Pius lx

conceded to the requests and wishes of the priests and people of Gozo and established Gozo and Comino into an autonomous diocese through the Bull Si.ngu/an. Amore ­ Wr7th remawhab/e love.

• 100 years ago, on 29 July 1914, His Grace Monsignor Pietro

Pace, former bishop of Gozo (1877­1889) and archbishop of Malta, one of the most eminent Gozitans of all time, died in Victoria­Gozo.

• 50 years ago, on 16 September 1964, the Diocese of Gozo

commemorated the one hundredth anniversary of its foundation.

• 50 years ago, on 21 September 1964, Malta and Gozo became

an independent state and formal members of the Commonwealth.

• 25 years ago, on 24 November 1989, the Gozo section of the National Archives was officially inaugurated.

CollaborationoftheNAGwiththeAEGandNS0 The NAG.National Archives (Gozo Section) has in the last two months collaborated with the NSO.the National Statistics Office (Gozo) and the AEG.the Episcopal Archives of Gozo in the publication of an interesting research. The occasion was provided by the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the Diocese of Gozo by Pope Pius lx on 16 September 1864.

This collaboration resulted in the publication by the AEG of the book Ord/.nazz/.on/).i.ef fa' Qass/.s/.n

Bjdeesani. Ghawdxi.n /7864­2074/. It includes a complete list of the 613 priests hailing from Gozo

ordained during the period. Each entry includes the date and place of birth; the date and place of ordination as well as the name of the bishop ordaining; and (where applicable) the date of death. This same data was passed on to the NSO that issued an interesting analysis of the findings.

The NAG, through Francesco Pio Attard, an archives assistant, checked, corrected, and prepared for publication the original research carried out by Joseph Bezzina, the Assistant National Archivist, and Mgr Jimmy Xerri during a long number of years.

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WORLD DAY FOR AUDIOVISUAL HERITAGE, 27th OCTOBER 2014. LAUNCH 0F A DIGITIZATION PROJECT OF A COLLECTION OF MALTESE FOLK­SINGING (Gt]ANA) BY THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.

On the occasion of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, the National Arohives of Malta and the Friends of the National Archives launched the digitization of the Leli Muscat Collection.

The Muscat Leli Collection is made up of about 400 hours of Maltese folk­singing

(ghana) that Leli Muscat had recorded over 20 years, from the sixties onwards, from all over Malta. This collection of thro hundred reels, is unique since the recording tcok

Press conference held at Lito's studios on 27 October 2014 ­World Audiorvisual Heritage Day. From left to right; Mr Max Farrugia (President of the Friends of the National Archives),

Mr Charles Farrugia (National Archivist) and Mr Manalito Galea (Sound Engineer) ­ photo

DOI Reuben Piscopo

place in a number of pubs and clubs during gtiana sessions. Furthermore, this collection includes a wealth of tens of folk­singers (ghannefia), besides a number of musicians (daqqaqa).The first phase of the process is the transfer of the recordings from analog to digital format. After this delicate and lengthy process, each track is individually separated. Thus the recording is saved from the dangers that are associated with the deterioration of the reels on which it currently is on. The next step

istherestorationprogram.Concurrently,thecollectionwillbecatalogued.Eventually,aftertheseprocesses,thecollectionwillbemadeavailabletoboththe researohers as well as to the public.

Mr. Charles Famugia, the National Arohivist, thanked the Friends of the National Archives for the financial aid they made available for acquiring and

conserving the Leli Muscat Collection. He also thanked Mr Steve Borg who was instrumental in findining the Collection. "The project that ve are starting

todayisanotherstepinthemissionoftheNationalArohivesinpreservingandmakingthenationalmemoryaccessible,'concludedMrFamugia.

Opening Hours:

Head Onice; Hospital Street, Rabat RBT1043 Tel(+356)2145­9863 Opening hours: Mon­Tue­Wed­Fri 8.00 am ­2.00pm Thur 10.00am ­2.00pm & 3.00pm ­7.30pm(excluding Aug), Sat 8.15am ­12.45pm

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Opening hours: Mon 8.00am ­2.00pm & 3.00pm ­7.30pm,

Published by the Natonal Archives of Mama The national entity responsible for arohives and

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Tue­Wed­Fri 8.00 am ­2.00pm, Thur 10.00am ­2.00pm, Saturday closed Editor: CharfesJ. Famugia

Gozo Section; Vajringa Street, Victoria VCT1313 Tel(+356) 2155­8833

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