The Malta Library and Information Association (Malia) has been following with interest the press reports and contributions concerning the National Library as well as the public library system.

The situation of the National Library collection was recently the subject of debate thanks to initiatives taken by the Lions Club Sliema and Air Malta, which have sponsored specific restoration projects at the National Library.

Such initiatives are indeed positive and similar agreements between the National Library and the private sector should, in our opinion, be further encouraged.

It is important to note, however, that the National Library’s remit is not only to preserve the published national heritage but also to provide a number of services to its users.

In this respect, the letter published in The Times by Dr William Zammit (August 27) provides a very true picture of the current situation at the National Library. As Dr Zammit rightly points out, the situation at the National Library required attention for a good number of years. It is therefore unfair that some reports in the local media are trying to link the dire situation at the National Library with the fact that this institution has been without a director for nearly 12 months.

While this matter needs to be addressed with some urgency, it must be said that our National Library collections and the services it offered have been crying out for attention for many years, even when there was a director.

The Malia Report on Libraries, published in 2006, had a whole chapter dedicated to the National Library and included a number of recommendations which were unfortunately ignored by the competent authorities.

The recent news that book circulation in public libraries is on the increase is positive, and Malia hopes the momentum can be maintained in the coming years. There is no doubt that the initiatives taken in the first half of the year by the Department of Libraries to promote libraries, and the allocation of €100,000 in the last Budget have been the main reasons behind the reversal of a negative trend that had been developing for the last few years.

Malia would therefore like to encourage the government to further invest in libraries by making additional funds available in the next Budget. We suggest that adequate funds be allocated for further collection development in our public libraries, as well as dedicated funds for the restoration of National Library books which require immediate attention.

We also would like to emphasise the need for the new law on libraries to be enacted without further delay. It is hoped that this law will provide the necessary infrastructure for both our National Library as well as our public libraries to move forward.

This should be followed up by a clear vision and strategy for our libraries, appointment of professional people at the helm and the provision of adequate training to staff to enable them to provide a modern and efficient service.