Books at the Central Library in Floriana lie forgotten in a messy heap.

There are 54 public libraries spread around Malta and Gozo, with over 21,000 members across the whole network. And yet, according to the EU Cultural Participation survey published a mere three months ago, 51 per cent of Maltese said they have no interest in visiting a library, while a further 35 per cent said they had no time to do so.

Two per cent of those surveyed pointed to a limited choice or poor quality of service, despite the fact that the Central Library in Floriana alone contains over 105,000 books, items of reference and audio visual material.

Given these dismal statistics, is there still a point to funding public libraries? Has the general lack of interest in reading, coupled with the advent of e-books (that are often available for free) led to the demise of the public library? And, more importantly, can the trend be reversed?

Judging a book by its cover

Appearances matter, of course. I first visit the Central Library in Floriana early on a weekday morning. As expected, it is empty, save for one lone librarian. It takes him a while to actually register the fact that there is a visitor.

The aisles are all empty, with many books scattered messily on their shelves. The vibe is truly depressing, and it hits me that my earlier analogy of a ghost town is not as fanciful as it sounds.

I go for a second visit on a Saturday morning. There are a couple of parents with children, and about three adults roaming the aisles. Libraries are meant to be silent, but this one would give the Addolorata cemetery a good run for its money.

The scene in front of me speaks for itself: Malta’s public libraries are definitely in trouble. New members do enrol – 2013 saw a total of 5,534 applicants – but these are somehow not then translating into foot traffic.

Of course, the problem is not limited to Malta. The same Cultural Participation Survey that yielded worrying statistics about reading habits in Malta revealed equally damning figures for other countries. Reading as a regular passtime is on the decrease world-wide, and all public libraries are suffering in the wake of the new trend.

The New York Library is a case in point. As part of a drive to renovate image and facilities, several branches across the city were closed down and the real estate sold off. The closure of these lending libraries meant that the flagship building could no longer be retained as offering purely research facilities, but had to incorporate book-lending services.

And yet, all is not bleak. In a drive to attract New Yorkers, the library is in process of setting up even longer hours than the 8pm cut-off time it currently employs. And on Sundays, it is business as usual.

This trend to offer hours that are convenient to working families is reflected in other libraries world-wide. In London, the main library stays open till 8pm three times a week. Saturdays are a full business day until 5.30pm. Amsterdam’s public library opens everyday, Sundays included, until 10pm.

Malta’s public libraries, in stark contrast, close at 5.45pm, at practically the same time that most people finish work (and students finish their homework and/or extra-curricular activities). During the summer time, the opening hours are curtailed even further, with civil service half-days kicking in. Saturdays do not yield more joy, with the Central Library closing at 1pm, while on Sunday it just doesn’t open.

We need librarians whose jobs do not simply involve the processing of books, but rather are attendants of culture and stimulators of discussions that will then, yes, lead to reading

Showcasing the protagonists

Of course, even with the most convenient opening hours in the world the issue of lack of interest still requires addressing. Mark Camilleri, current chairman of the National Book Council, says the council is trying to address this problem by tackling it from various angles, including by donating new books and by promoting the use of public libraries through social media.

“However, this problem must also be tackled in a comprehensive way through the education system.”

In New York, one project that has met with a measure of success involves taking the library’s online catalogue into public schools.

Thanks to the project, which has been dubbed MyLibraryNYC, books are delivered from public libraries directly to schools. Books are listed in one, student-friendly online catalogue that combines the collections of the school and public libraries in one place, enabling students and teachers to locate, hold and order delivery of books to their school.

A multi-discipline approach has also ensured that national libraries in major cities are viewed as a cultural hub, rather than as simply a place where to pick a couple of books and leave. With exhibitions, concerts, talks and tours organised on a regular basis, the buildings themselves become a place to hang out.

This view is echoed by Ġorġ Mallia, former chairman of the National Book Council, who insists that public libraries remain relevant if suitably converted to the needs of today’s society.

“I have visited quite a few libraries worldwide, and found them all to be buzzing hubs of activity. Online media has made us more insular, but libraries can actually be one of those public spaces serving a number of purposes, and which also satisfy the need of wired and digital generations.”

Dr Mallia believes that the central role of the library – imparting the culture of reading – needs to remain. Although this has traditionally been the exclusive domain of books, Dr Mallia points out that nowadays this culture can be diffused by a large number of channels.

Can our public libraries be revived?

A drastically different approach is needed to turn the Central Library in Floriana from a ghost town to a thriving hangout.

“The library must be aware of this, and work to meet the change in society by changing itself,” he says.

How can this be achieved?

“Well, the library still needs physical books. But e-books do need to be added to the mix, as an extension, rather than as a replacement.”

Although a study on the impact and feasibility of e-books on public libraries is indeed being carried out within the central library, this is an issue that has not yet been concretely acted upon in Malta, outside of the Digitisation Strategy and Framework for the National Library of Malta. The project is still being implemented and is limited to materials about Malta’s history.

A twist in the plot

Even so, Dr Mallia says that incorporating digital books is only be the most basic of changes needed: “Libraries need to understand the cultural enhancement that society needs. They must understand the roles of popular culture in enticing the young, taking all lessons on board and transforming them into activities. Books are instigators and motivators, but not necessarily perpetrators.” In some of the more innovative and enterprising initiatives he has seen happen in libraries abroad, Dr Mallia describes how he has attended sessions in which ‘living’ books were loaned to library patrons.

They must understand the roles of popular culture in enticing the young, taking all lessons on board and transforming them into activities

“People in different jobs, or of different persuasions, were actually taken home and quizzed. I have also seen libraries creating spaces that can be used for public fora – orchestras playing in front of libraries and even, in one case, a rock concert. The events were followed with talks by authors of books on the subject.”

The central library in Malta, in fact, claims to organise a number of events and educational programmes during the year, with public talks catering for both children and adults. A spokesperson from the library quotes “informational sessions on various subjects, from health issues to cultural promotion; educational games, films and crafts for children; reading and learning strategies for parents; and information literacy sessions”.

These events, the spokesperson says, are “usually held randomly to promote new acquisitions or linked to special occasions such as Carnival, Easter, World Book Day, Library Day and Christmas”.

A look at the official Facebook page, which counts 1,174 likes at the time of going to print, yields only a list of story-telling sessions for children and very sporadic screening of children’s movies when going back all the way to September.

Although a step in the right direction, these activites go nowhere near achieving the holistic approach that would be needed to reel in a regular audience of adults and children – a conclusion that library management seems to acknowledge, with “constraints in human and financial resources” cited as the reason why we lack behind in these areas.

And yet, there are many avenues that could open the way to improvements. Dr Mallia’s concluding words perhaps sum the situation up most effectively:

“Libraries need to be lanscaped, interior designed and attractive, with sitting areas that are very comfortable and with lots of light. And we need librarians whose jobs do not simply involve the processing of books, but rather are attendants of culture and stimulators of discussions that will then, yes, lead to reading.”

Looks like it’s time to write a new chapter.

Plotting a good return

The very definition of reading has nowadays been extended to include newspaper reports, blogs and websites.

Web-site ranking service Alexa.com lists local and international news portals as being among the top 50 most-visited websites by the Maltese. Yet, we have no way of knowing how much time is spent engaging in actual reading, beyond the casual look at the headlines.

And of course, keeping up with the news and one’s favourite blogs while having a quick coffee-break does not yield quite the same benefits as the regular, committed reading of books.

Recent research carried out by Emory University, in the US, suggested that reading a book may cause biological changes in the brain which last even after the book is finished, as the mind is transported into the body of the protagonist.

Another study, carried out by psychologists at the New School for Social Research, New York, suggested that reading fiction improves our ability to detect and understand other people’s emotions. In other words, reading an honest-to-goodness novel stimulates the imagination and our capacity for empathy, among other things.

Chris Gruppetta, from Merlin Publishers, attributes the decrease in the popularity of books to “the buffet of alternative entertainment options available, and the endless time suck that is the internet”. He also blames movies and television series for having added to the need for “instant gratification in narrative and description”.

“We have less patience to sit through a 200-page novel, when we could watch the movie version in 90 minutes.”

The solution, he believes, lies in contemporary writing, and fresh packaging.

“I’ve never had any problems saying that packaging is important – books need to be seen to be cool. Having said that, no amount of glitter and make-up will cover up a clumsy, tired novel. Content is king.”

Asked whether in his experience there is such a thing as a typical reader, Gruppetta says that in actual fact the diversification of readers is one of the successes achieved by the Maltese publishing scene in the past decade.

“Of course, there has always been the cliché of the typical reader (female, middle class, chardonnay- or cappuccino-sipping) but the wider range of literature being published locally has led to a much wider readership, not only in quantitative terms but also in the type of readers. For example, the introduction of action-based novels in Malta, such as Mark Camilleri’s Inspector Gallo series, has appealed to a male audience.

As for the benefits of reading books, Gruppetta pulls no punches.

“Reading takes me to a different world. Like movies do, only better because a book stays with you much longer. Reading gives access to emotions, situations, places that we would otherwise never encounter in our lives.

“I’ve just finished a book set in contemporary New York, and am reading another set in turn of 20th-century Japan, with its creeping westernisation and geisha districts.

“And, meanwhile, I’m also in rural France in a village of murderers and sex addicts. And, thanks to an as yet unpublished manuscript I’m reading right now, I’m also in Rio in 2061. Exciting times.”