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½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s Department of Library Information & Archive Sciences keeps strengthening international collaboration through seminars in Italy

The Department of Library Information & Archive Sciences (DLIAS) within the Faculty of Media & Knowledge Sciences at the University of Malta is continuing to strengthen its international academic and professional partnerships through the organisation of two important events in Italy taking place between May and June 2026. 

The first event, titled Reframing the Barberini Archive through Hospitaller Malta: Archival Methodologies and Documentary Typologies, took place on 26 May and brought together academics and archivists to discuss with DLIAS MA students the Barberini Archive and its aim was the identification, study, rearrangement, and contextual description of the records relating to Malta and the Order of St John. Hosted at Vatican City, Apostolic Library, it drew on a multi-year, multi-institutional project conducted by the Sezione Archivi (Isabella Aurora; Chiara Cambrai) and DLIAS (Dr Valeria Vanesio). With the occasion, the letter of intents between the two institutions were renovated. 

The second event, The Order of St John and Family Archives: Mapping Hidden Networks of Memory, is a seminar organised by Dr Daniel Gullo and Dr Valeria Vanesio in collaboration with the State Archive of Florence and the Malta Study Center at HMML and is being held on 11 June in Florence. This initiative aims to further strengthen scholarly exchanges between Malta and Italy while encouraging research cooperation in the fields of family archives and historical studies connected to the Order of St John. The seminar is expected to provide an important platform for researchers and professionals to share expertise, discuss current projects, and explore future collaborative opportunities.

These activities form part of the Department’s long-term strategy of developing sustained partnerships with research and holding institutions overseas.

Dr Valeria Vanesio from DLIAS, together with Prof. Charles J. Farrugia, commented that these meaningful academic and professional partnerships are creating valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange, joint research and professional development in archive studies, and ultimately contribute to the better preservation, accessibility and promotion of our shared historical heritage across borders. Moreover, they are a unique opportunity for our students to grow personally and professionally.

Through such initiatives, DLIAS continues to promote academic exchange, professional networking, and the advancement of knowledge in library, information, and archive sciences on an international level.

[Read more about the Department's initiatives on ]