My Personal Library (60)

This week I will not dwell on any book in particular, but will allow a sophisticated lady – a regular reader of this column – to inspire this Yellow Box Feature, as she called it when we met in Valletta this week and had a short conversation.

She told me that she has some documents at home dating back to the mid-20th century, which could be culturally valuable and was wondering what to do with them, because she needs to clear some space. My immediate reaction was to suggest a bequest – or donation – to the National Archives or the University or some other entity which might have the infrastructure and the motivation to take care of such documents while allowing researchers to use them for the cultural history of our country.

I kept mulling over this conversation. Probably there are others who, like this lady, happen to possess documents that are valuable in terms of their utility interest to the cultural and social history of our country. And it is possible that some of these people are uncertain as to what to do with them – be they original manuscripts or copies or other material.

So I decided that this week I would make an appeal to enable future books to be written, rather than to discuss a book that has already been written.

If you happen to own any documents or other media or material that could be culturally valuable and you do not wish to keep such items at home – for a number of reasons we need not enter into here – may I suggest that you approach any entity in the country that is dedicated to archiving? You might wish to consider the National Archives, the University of Malta, the National Library or other state entities. There are also the Cathedral Archives in Mdina and others either related to the Church or to private foundations or organisations.

Please do not throw away such materials. If they belong to a domain with which you are not familiar, please do get in touch with the experts. Many academics would simply fall in love with culturally valuable material and would be only too happy to help you identify the best place to which to donate or bequeath such items.

Our national identity and culture depend on the State only up to a point. From that point onward, they depend on us. Preserving culturally valuable items for posterity is one of the most beautiful and meaningful acts you can do for our country and for future generations: we owe it to those who will come after us.

Thanks.