Gozo's written heritage

The Archive Awareness Week, held jointly by the National Archives of Malta and its sub-agency in Gozo, came to an end yesterday. Its main objective was to make the general public aware of the rich written heritage held in many small and not-so-small archives scattered throughout Malta and Gozo. This is a very important heritage for it serves as a memorial and authentic evidence of past facts and events.

The National Archives preserves deposits of records of a public nature, which are no longer in use for the purpose of administration. The Gozo section, with its premises in an annexe to the Public Library in Triq Vajringa, was conceived as the public record office for the documentation produced and received by past and present Government departments and establishments in Gozo.

The Gozo section of the National archives began to function on August 1, 1989, through the support of the former Minister for Gozo, Anton Tabone. Minister Giovanna Debono has continued to promote this foundation unstintingly and has given her full support to its continuous expansion.

This information and much more is found on the Website of the National Archives (Gozo section) www.gozo.gov.mt launched by Minister Debono last Thursday. On the same occasion, the minister inaugurated an exhibition entitled "Religious Aspects of Life in Gozo from the records at the National Archives".

In the past, little or no care was taken of the written heritage of Malta and Gozo. One example suffices: only 265 items of the Universitas Gaudisii, the administrative government of Gozo in medieval and later times, have survived. This is but a tiny fraction of the multitude of documents that must have been produced by this entity considering that it functioned with ups and downs from around 1350 until it was suppressed by the British Colonial authorities in 1818. The foundation of the National Archives is helping to avoid a repetition of such a great documentary loss.

However, not all has been lost. A glimpse at the rich written heritage preserved in Gozo can be gleaned from the exhibition that runs up to November 30. The documents on display include a report of an apostolic visitation to Gozo in 1575; an order for fireworks for the feast of St John the Baptist, patron saint of the Knights, in 1661; permits related to the building of the Capuchin's convent in Rabat in 1739; a plea by the parish priest of Ghajnsielem in 1910 to the Somersetshire Light Infantry stationed at Fort Chambray to engage Gozitan workers; and many others.

The exhibition also features several plans for the enlargement of churches and church squares as well as a number of historic photographs. There is also a concurrent exhibition of religious publications in Maltese published between 1863 and 2000.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibitions last Thursday, Mrs Debono outlined Government's constant support towards the National Archives and pledged that it is Government's intention to continue to sustain this institution.

It is of utmost importance that the National Archives works hard with other government departments to ensure that good records and information management practices are embedded across the civil service and the wider public sector.

A true awareness of the importance of archives is still wanting in several sectors of the public service. Good information management is a core function of Government, as it underpins both its workings and the effectiveness of the services it provides.

This message is of particular importance in a digital age, where constantly evolving technology poses a further challenge to the survival of information. In the long term, it is essential to ensure that records are preserved for the future - today's decisions must be available for the students and researchers of tomorrow to examine.