Thanks to a research grant from RIDT, Prof. William Zammit, Head of the Department of Library Information & Archive Sciences within the Faculty of Media & Knowledge Sciences, has identified and acquired early Malta-related printed material (Melitensia) of historical and cultural significance, held in UK libraries and which are not available in Maltese public collections.
The main focus of the project was on printed pamphlets describing naval battles between the fleet of the Hospitaller Order of St John and Muslim shipping in the Mediterranean during the 16th and 18th centuries. Naval battles involving Maltese corsairs have also been included. This focus was chosen since it covers three areas of research interest, namely:
- 16th to 18th century Malta
- The naval history of Malta and of the Order of St John
- Mediterranean naval conflicts between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Prof. Zammit scanned the material and helped in the creation of the metadata required for these works to be uploaded in the University of Malta’s Institutional Repository – OAR@UM. The material can now be accessed at: Naval Battles of the Order.
A word of appreciation goes to RIDT, Dr Tom Foakes and Abigail Turner of the Museum of the Order of St John, Clerkenwell who kindly allowed access to the pamphlets, and also consented to have them uploaded in full text. Thanks also goes to Mark Poulton and Katja Zahra Camilleri, from the University of Malta who provided invaluable advice with regard to technical requirements for the uploading of the material in OAR@UM.
In September 2014, the University of Malta Library launched the first Institutional Repository on the island - OAR@UM. The aim of OAR@UM is to collect, preserve and disseminate the intellectual output of the University in digital format. OAR@UM includes articles, books and book chapters, audio visual content, works in the public domain and other scholarly content most of which is available in Open Access. Also included in OAR@UM are works of importance to Malta’s cultural heritage and identity.
For further information contact us on oar.lib@um.edu.mt.