Malta Libraries is the entity responsible for the National Library of Malta, the National Library of Gozo, the National Bibliographic Office, the Central Public Library, and the Gozo Central Public Library. It also shares responsibility with the Local Councils for seven regional and 48 branch libraries.  

The mission of Malta Libraries is to ensure the collection and conservation of Malta’s documentary heritage for present and future generations, to maintain and develop the libraries regulated under the Malta Libraries Act, and to encourage reading for study, research, self-development and lifelong learning information and leisure purposes. (Malta Libraries Act VII of 2011). 

The National Library is a reference and research library, housing an extensive collection of books, journals, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, and audio and visual recordings by Maltese authors. This makes it instrumental in preserving our nation’s memory with collections spanning centuries from medieval times to the digital age.  

The National Bibliographic Office creates standardized bibliographic records of all the publications submitted under legal deposit which are then published annually as the Malta National Bibliography.  

The public libraries offer a vast variety of services ranging from the circulation of physical books, eBooks, audio and visual books to educational sessions targeting all age groups. The public libraries’ popularity is steadily increasing each year both in terms of borrowing physical and electronic format books as well as in participation in educational events. To date, there are over 1,160,200 physical books in public libraries and over 35,000 eBooks on our Libby app.