National Library of Malta

History and Founding

The National Library of Malta, also known as the Bibliotheca, is a reference and research library situated in Republic Square, Valletta. The origins of its collection date to 1555, when Grand Master Claude de la Sengle decreed that books belonging to deceased members of the Order of St. John were to pass to the Order's treasury. The library's modern history began around 1761, when Bailiff Fra' Louis Guérin de Tencin opened a public library in the Forfantone palace on Valletta's main street, combining his own collection with other acquired works totaling approximately 19,000 volumes. After de Tencin's death in 1766, Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc formally founded the Bibliotheca Publica in 1776. A new purpose-built neoclassical building designed by Polish-Italian architect Stefano Ittar was commissioned in 1786 and completed in 1796. The library was formally inaugurated in its current building on 4 June 1812 by British Civil Commissioner Sir Hildebrand Oakes.

In 1925, it became a legal deposit library under Act No. II. In 1936, King George V granted it the title of Royal Malta Library. In 1976, the Central Public Library opened in Floriana and the Valletta library transitioned to its current role as a national reference and research institution.

Collections and Holdings

The library holds over one million literary items, including books, manuscripts, journals, maps, newspapers, audio recordings, and visual materials. Its most historically significant holding is the complete Archives of the Order of St. John from the Middle Ages to 1798, transferred from the Public Registry in 1937. The library also houses the Archives of the Università dei Giurati of Mdina and Valletta, dating as far back as the fourteenth century. Sixty incunabula are held, including works by Quintilian, Ptolemy, and Plautus. The oldest artefact is an Egyptian papyrus from the Ptolemaic period (332–331 BC).

The library specialises in Melitensia — the most comprehensive collection of published material by Maltese authors or relating to Malta — including some of the earliest Maltese newspapers such as the Journal de Malte, Foglio d'Avvisi, and Giornale di Malta. Map and cartographic holdings range from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. The most important single document is the Pie Postulatio Voluntatis (1113), a papal bull issued by Pope Paschal II recognising the Order of St. John.

Access and Usage

The National Library of Malta functions exclusively as a reference and research library; materials must be consulted on-site and are not available for lending. Access is open to the public upon presentation of a valid identity document. Winter hours (October–mid-June) are Monday to Friday 8:15–17:45 and Saturday 8:15–13:15; summer hours (mid-June–September) are Monday to Saturday 8:15–13:15.

Digitisation and Partnerships

The library manages digitisation and conservation programmes and collaborates closely with the National Archives of Malta. It operates a National Bibliographic Centre and maintains the Malta National Bibliography. The Malta Study Center at Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) has microfilmed thousands of archival volumes from the library's collections.