Fiona Galea Debono
Insufficient space for electronic library
The public library will remain confined to its hidden and almost inaccessible location in Beltissebħ, close to the Excelsior Hotel in Floriana. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Once on the agenda, the move of the public library from its hidden and almost inaccessible location in Beltissebħ to the heart of Freedom Square was no longer on the cards, the Investments Ministry confirmed, amid complaints it had "disappeared" from the plans.
"Renzo Piano may have still been thinking of the original designs when he mentioned a library in the Parliament building," it explained.
"He always referred to the space available at the lower level of the Parliament building and the surroundings as an area of civic pride"; and that is as far as a library can be read into it.
While admitting that a public library had been considered and the government had supported it, the ministry said the idea had started because, initially, the ground floor of the building housing Parliament (not the offices) was pretty bare and afforded enough space for a cultural activity.
At the time, however, one of the ideas was not a lending library in the traditional sense because the overall space - even if completely bare - was never going to be adequate. The thought was more on the lines of a library that would be served exclusively through electronic media.
The idea was subsequently dropped because the Parliament building was rearranged and available free space proved insufficient for the purpose, the ministry explained.
The Malta Library and Information Association may have counted its chickens before they hatched when it praised Piano's plans for a public library in the proposed Parliament building in Valletta.
It was quick to retract its delight when its hopes were crushed, and credit for having successfully lobbied for the centrally located library was short-lived as the original plan gave way to a museum of Maltese history and political development instead.
But neither is that plan set in stone and the interactive experience remains "one of the options the government is considering", the ministry said.
The idea is that the public would have the opportunity to "walk through its national identity", and if it materialises, it would be located in the building housing the offices.
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Robert Mizzi
Jul 25th 2009, 18:33
I would be interested to know more about when "The idea was subsequently dropped because the Parliament building was rearranged and available free space proved insufficient for the purpose". I do not buy the idea that "Renzo Piano may have still been thinking of the original designs when he mentioned a library in the Parliament building," and this when speaking to a Times interviewer just 5 days before the actual launch!! Maybe someone pulled the strings and Piano had to readjust his proposal during the last few days -as I do not in any way believe that Mr Piano is getting a wee confused of lately when being interviewed!!
As for "The Malta Library and Information Association may have counted its chickens before they hatched when it praised Piano's plans for a public library in the proposed Parliament building in Valletta" I would like to ask Ms Galea Debono if these are her words or the Ministry explained this as well! In any case, the losers in this situation are definitely not MaLIA but the general public that will continue to be served by a 1970s public library system...alas!!
Stefan Mifsud
Jul 24th 2009, 08:39
@ Sarah Camilleri Agree with you 100%
Danika Vella
Jul 23rd 2009, 21:37
How about digging one storey below the level of the ground to make the library into a two-storey building, so that maybe the space will be enough?! A public library is always better than a museum...
Roderick Cutajar
Jul 23rd 2009, 16:17
Again we hear about another project shrouded in mystery. It seems that most of the projects that the government propose are filled with a hundred and one ways of how these should be developed. That is why most of them never seem to be let off the ground or take ages to start, cause the government don't have a clear-cut picture as to what to do with the site in the first place. Most often this results in showing that the government is not getting its priorities right.
Sarah Camilleri
Jul 23rd 2009, 14:48
This is such a pity - why don't we replace the proposed Parliament Building with a high-tech Public Library at the entrance to Valletta?
This would confirm the capital's status as a cultural hub and show the government's commitment to increasing literacy and encouraging reading.