I have a dream...

When asked recently what I miss that I had in England - my home for many years in the recent past - I was forced to admit that one of the facilities very much lacking in Malta is the equivalent of a first-class public library.

Every village in England has its own well-equipped and up-to-date public library, housebound people are amply provided for by mobile libraries and busy mothers of young children can utilise these mobile libraries as they have specific stopping points where patrons can return their books and replenish their bookshelves from the modern and comprehensive selection on board these vehicles.

Every town and city centre boasts modern, fully equipped and computerised libraries manned by teams of thoroughly experienced and qualified librarians. It is possible, for a small charge of about 15c, to order books in advance of publication once the author and title have been advertised in the press or over the television, and, thus, one can read the very latest books on offer even before they are stocked by bookshops!

The reference section in one of these town libraries is truly comprehensive and, through computerisation, any sort of information from train timetables to names of people on electoral registers is readily available. If one's request for information is so obscure as not to be easily accessible by the librarian, it is simply a matter of onward transmission to Head Office or the main London library or whichever institution is likely to be in a position to supply the required information.

Imagine my surprise and disappointment when, in pursuit of joining the Central Public Library in Floriana, opposite the Phoenicia, I explored the shelves of the fiction and non-fiction sections on the ground-floor. It would appear that many of the books on offer were about 20 years old and that the number of recently published books was not at all plentiful. Many volumes were in such a dilapidated condition as to be almost unacceptable as reading material.

Where, I wondered, were the latest fiction books, the most recent publications? Where could I obtain the reference information I was seeking? Eventually, after borrowing a selection of books on offer and taking the time and trouble of driving all the way to Floriana (there is no public lending library in Ta' l-Ibrag, as far as I can ascertain) I gave up the exercise as a bad job and, while retaining my plastic library card, have refrained from borrowing any more books!

I have often wondered why the public lending library situation is so dire and, in pursuit of answers, I discussed the matter with various people connected with Maltese libraries to obtain a general overview of the situation.

The history of libraries in Malta is relatively simple. All libraries nowadays fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Libraries and Archives, under the directorship of Philip Borg. The minister responsible is Dr Louis Galea, so ultimately, responsibility for the improvement and refurbishment of the public library system in Malta and Gozo lies in the hands of these two gentlemen. It is to be hoped that they succeed in channelling their energies into the modernisation and thorough overhaul of all libraries so that all borrowers are able to procure the book of their choice without difficulty.

At present, the National Library is situated on Republic Square, Valletta, and is the leading research library for the Maltese Islands. The Central Public Library and headquarters of the lending libraries of Malta is the library in Floriana, whereas, in Gozo, the reference library is in Vajringa Street, and the public lending library in St Francis Street, both in Victoria.

Originally, the Bibliotheca on Republic Square was the lending and reference library for Malta. In 1979 this became split into three so that the reference library remained on Republic Square, the lending library moved to Floriana and the National Archives were transferred to Rabat in the old Santo Spirito Hospital, a historical building which had been a hospital since medieval times. This building is the home of all documentation relating to the administration of these islands since 1800.

It is worth recording an additional factor of historical interest in relation to books and lending libraries in Malta and this is the old Garrison Library which used to be situated on Palace Square, Valletta. This British institution was somewhat elitist in its clientele in that only British nationals were allowed to borrow the superior volumes on offer and these borrowers could only avail themselves of this Garrison Library on becoming members. However, in the post-war period, many Maltese were able to become members and the situation became considerably less 'elitist'.

Another library which served the public well used to be the British Council Library in West Street, Valletta. For a small fee, members were able to avail themselves of the well-stocked library which boasted many recent publications on its shelves. Unfortunately, the library was closed at the same time as the British Council in 1978.

So, where do we go from here? I have a dream... and the dream is that one day Malta will be the proud owner of a truly modern, well- equipped, computerised set of libraries on a par with any on offer in towns and villages in England. Basically, it all rests on the availability of funds - sufficient to provide for the renovation, and for the improvement and total refurbishment of these libraries to bring them truly into the 21st century.

The most important issue, and a genuine cry for help from those connected with libraries on these islands (both borrowers and staff alike), is for an urgent injection of substantial amounts of hard cash. Surely, it is of the utmost importance to ensure the progress of education and, thus, the government, via the Education Division, should set aside sensible, substantial amounts of financial assistance at the earliest opportunity!

While it is beneficial for libraries to receive gifts such as the recent presentation of over 100 books to Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono by the US Embassy, it is a fact of life that libraries should not and cannot need to depend on occasional donations to cater for their requirements. The editorial in The Times of June 28 was highly supportive of the urgent need for funding of Maltese libraries and it is reasonable to suppose that the public and those directly connected with libraries in particular, are of like mind.

In conclusion, therefore, it is to be hoped that the Department of Libraries and Archives will shortly receive substantial amounts of government funding to effect progress and renovation, modernisation and refurbishment to ensure that our public libraries become worthy of comparison with any in Europe.

This is of particular importance now that Malta is poised to enter the European Union in May, 2004, when it might be reasonable to propose that one of Malta's requests for financial assistance from the Union might be directed towards the libraries. Thus, a dream will become a reality and Malta's libraries will be the envy of visitors and foreign librarians alike!