Plan to microfilm national archives documents

The Friends of the National Archives of Malta are embarking on the painstaking and ambitious task of putting on microfilm thousands of documents dating back 200 years.

A number of the documents, particularly those that deal with the early British period, are in dire need of conservation.

The Friends believe it is only by conserving these national treasures that future generations will be able to enjoy them.

Various methods were considered, including scanning the documents and making them available on the internet, but the Friends' vice-president, Charles Farrugia, said yesterday that putting them on microfilm ensured durability and permanency.

The Friends said: "A silent, relentless destruction of our collective memory is taking place as inks fade, papers crumble, film stocks deteriorate, and electronic codes degrade. Once information is lost, no quantity of resources or new technologies will restore gaps in our knowledge about ourselves."

Microfilming is known to be the most reliable method of preservation. When stored under the proper conditions, a film can last for up to 300 years. Moreover, it can be reproduced relatively quickly and inexpensively.

Charles Farrugia said that after the documents were put on microfilm it would also be possible to convert them to digital images which could then be made available on the internet. This could also include a search able database.

Friends secretary Max Farrugia appealed for money to finance the microfilming project to safeguard the priceless heritage of the country's archives. The cost of putting each volume of documents on microfilm amounts to Lm30, and there are plans to put 164 volumes on microfilm.

Max Farrugia said the Friends were targetting organisations and individuals for donations. Each person or organisation who donates Lm30 or more will be credited on the first slide of the microfilm.

Microfilming will take place in two phases:

The first to be microfilmed is a series of 23 volumes listing memorials and petitions for the early years of British Malta. The first correspondence addressed to Charles Cameron is dated August 1, 1801.

The second phase involves the microfilming of 164 volumes of copies of letters sent from the Chief Secretary's office between 1813 and 1910.

Since 1990, the National Archives of Malta have been stored at the old Santo Spirito Hospital in Rabat.

The enormous collection of historical documents are regularly consulted by the public. Access is free of charge and specialised advice is provided for newcomers. A catalogue is also available on CD-ROM.

Further information is available from Max Farrugia on tel. 2165 9768 or Charles Farrugia on 2145 9863.