Malta maps collection being digitised

Albert Ganado's private collection of about 600 Malta maps is being catalogued and digitised by Heritage Malta with the help of a Lm6,000 donation from Maltacom's Fondazzjoni Memorja Kulturali Nazzjonali.

Dr Ganado's is the biggest Malta map collection in the world and the cataloguing and digitising process should take about another year to complete.

President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, who heads the FMKN, said the digitisation process would help to better preserve the collection, which, although private, was also part of the national heritage. Digitisation, he added, will make possible the study of the maps without the need to have recourse to the originals.

The foundation, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said, was set up by Maltacom to help in the preservation of the national heritage through digitisation.

The foundation was asked to help in this project, which had already started but had been stopped, by the Bighi Restoration Centre (330 maps have already been catalogued). On taking over the centre, Heritage Malta understood the importance of the collection and decided to revive the project.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici showered praise on Dr Ganado who, he said, was an authority on cartography.

Dr Ganado published two books on the subject - the first in two volumes - together with the late Maurice Agius Vadalà, about the maps of the Great Siege, and the second on the maps of Valletta during the time of its construction. The collection, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said, includes many maps that have never been shown or reproduced.

The catalogue includes a detailed study of each individual specimen of the collection. This is being drawn up by historian William Zammit with the help of Dr Ganado.

Physical characteristics of each map, image and plate size, colouring, particular details and the presence of watermarks are described.

Research is also being carried out to identify the cartographer and engraver of each item, whether the map was an original or a copy or whether it was originally published as a separate sheet or as part of a book. In the latter case the edition/date is identified when possible.

Dr Ganado said he started his collection after inheriting five of his father's 22 maps.

He had gone to the UK with his wife and bought 30 Malta maps from Francis Edwards for £46, discounted from £72. On his return home, he started indexing and studying his maps and whenever he is abroad, he visit map shops and places where he could find maps to add to his collection.

His oldest map is the Quintinus map, which dates back to 1536 and which was published in Lyon.

Asked how much his collection was worth, Dr Ganado said that it was impossible to price it.

Heritage Malta chairman Mario Tabone said Dr Ganado's maps were not just a collection but national heritage.

Heritage Malta was interested in keeping the collection together and making it more accessible to both the public in general and scholars in particular.

He said it was very positive when owners of such collections understood that what they owned was also part of the national heritage.