The forthcoming publication Custos Divitiarum: Festschrift in honour of Joseph Schirò published by Midsea Books aims to capture diverse facets from the sectors which the conservator Schirò touched within the culture sector in Malta and abroad.

The initiative for this Festschrift came from the Malta Association of Professional Conservator–Restorers under the editorship of Charles Farrugia.

The book is intended to honour the contribution Schirò gave to the Maltese bibliographical and conservation sectors.

This publication tries to capture diverse facets from the sectors which Schirò touched within the culture sector in Malta and abroad.

“The selection of contributors for the publication was primarily done by MAPCo-Re and the editor. The length of time it took us to reach publication date was due to a number of factors, not least the fact that this was entirely a volunteering project and all contributors and persons involved worked on this voluntarily,” say the publishers.

The book is divided into four sections. The first section of the book brings together articles by leading authors about content, research and challenges that emanate from archives and museums.

For the second section it was decided to group those articles that focus mainly on the published output, illuminated books or other published items.

It was also opportune to fit in the writing about the history of printing in Malta. The third section on conservation is not only a tribute to the richness of artefacts we have on the islands but a direct tribute to Schirò himself who had a direct influence on the professional formation of almost all the contributors in this section.

The fourth section focuses on cartography.

This is also a reflection of the love Schirò has for the topic and the unprecedented contribution he gave also in that sector.