On June 13, Malta Libraries is holding a lecture on the presence of prohibited literature in the original core of what is now the National Library of Malta in Valletta.

Professor William Zammit will discuss the origins of such literature, its presence and accessibility in the Order’s library, referring to actual examples of such literature still surviving in the present collection.

Zammit argues that the mechanisms of control over such literature were mitigated by means through which it was still possible for such prohibited material to be read and, that given the cosmopolitan nature of the Order of St John, the typology of prohibited literature available and circulating in Malta was varied. The survival of the Maltese Inquisitorial tribunal records constitutes a further major source in this respect.

The professor has served as head of the department of Library Information and Archive Sciences. During the last 40 years, he has taught or lectured at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. He has served as president of the National Archives Council, the legally instituted body responsible for Maltese archival heritage, and is a member of the Cathedral Museum Managerial Council, the Malta Libraries Council and the Malta Map Society Council. He is the author of various academic books and papers, and has been responsible for various research projects.

Titled ‘Prohibited literature in a Catholic collection: The case of a Hospitaller library in Malta, 1760-1798’, the lecture forms part of the sixth edition of the National Library of Malta’s public lectures series ‘Knowledge in the Making: Towards an Intellectual History of Early Modern Malta’.

The series, coordinated by Maroma Camilleri, Jean-Paul De Lucca and Mevrick Spiteri, is being held in collaboration with the Department of Philosophy, University of Malta. All lectures are being held at the National Library of Malta and start at 6.30pm.

Entrance is free and no booking is required. For more information, e-mail events.library@gov.mt.