The contributions of public libraries to our democracy, education, lifelong learning, and our information-driven society may be too numerous to list. In Gozo we have a rich public library full of reference books, Melitensia and copies of all books published locally.

A public library plays a very important role in promoting knowledge and is open to all. Unfortunately Gozo’s public library is inaccessible to the disabled, since it can only be reached by ascending two flights of stairs.

There are two sections in the library: Melitensia, including the public archives, and the ordinary section which includes free Internet service. The first contains a wealth of historical material, including the surviving 265 registers of the former Universitas Gaudisii. All the documents are very well kept and catalogued.

The general section is not being updated and the range of magazines and books available is very limited. News magazines are lacking and recently published books about various subjects are unavailable, presumably due to lack of funds.

There is lack of space too, and one can see piles of books left around the building in offices and corridors gathering dust. The present building is part of the Sir Arturo Mercieca Primary School and although it is a magnificent old building it is no longer suitable for a modern reference library. In my opinion the present building should be left to accommodate the National Archives and new premises found or built to serve as a public library.

Short courses should be held to teach young students to make proper use of the library.

We should encourage our students to use the public library frequently and learn to carry out research on their own from the documents and books available rather than just do a Google search and get their material from the Internet.

A modern library should contain a ‘study area’ where users can take down notes from the books and even photos and study in silence. Some students find it very difficult to do their studies at home, for various reasons. This section is particularly useful for these students and others who are doing research work.