Syllabus

Introduction to archival research in Malta

Offered through the auspices of the University of Malta, Division of Library and Information Sciences

December, 2003

Instructor: Dr. Theresa M. Vann

Purpose: To introduce students, researchers, and people interested in the history of Malta to the archives of Malta.

Goal: To create the framework for an interactive web-based course/information page, useful for anybody wanting to research the archives of Malta.

Description:

This course will introduce the students to Malta’s historical archives, which include the archives of the Knights of Malta and the ecclesiastical archives of Malta and Gozo. The course will describe archival organization and finding aids. The course will also introduce students to new forms of digital access, and the availability of internet records.

Intended for : local and amateur historians, genealogists, and those interested in the future of digital access.

This class will draw upon the resources of the Malta Study Center of the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, in particular its website at http://www.hmml.org/studycenters/malta

Outline:

Introduction: What is in the Malta Archives?

What periods of history do they cover?

What types of information are in them?

What do they tell us about the history of the island and the people?

What periods of history don’t they cover? and why not?

Class 2: What types of archives exist on Malta?

What is in the archives of the Knights of Malta, and how do they pertain to the history of Malta?

What is the Cathedral Museum?

What about that Inquisition?

Class 3: What tools do I need for archival research?

Do I need special language skills?

Do I need special computer skills?

What else might I need to learn?

Class 4: How can I find what I need to know?

How are archives organized?

What are finding aids?

I want to research my family history. How do I do it?

Class 5: What are the relevance of historical archives in the modern world?

How useful is the internet?

What does electronic access and digitization mean?

What does the future hold for archives?

I have old documents at home. What should I do with them?

Posted December, 2003
T. Vann
Malta Study Center
Hill Monastic Manuscript Library