The Malta Map Society (MMS) President, Mr Joseph Schirò, together with Dr Ritienne Gauci, Senior Lecturer from the Department of Geography and Ms Bernadine Scicluna, Principal Curator at MUŻA, who are also MMS Committee members, held a cordial meeting with Professor Dominic Fenech, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, during which two of the latest MMS publications and a limited-edition map facsimile were presented to be deposited in the Faculty of Arts Library. These publications were produced to mark the 41st IMCoS (International Map Collectors) Symposium, held in Malta last October and organized by the Malta Map Society and to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Malta Map Society.
One of the publications is Cartographia: Map Treasures of the National Library of Malta, authored by Joseph Schirò, a catalogue of a map exhibition held at the National Library during October and November 2024, showcasing its rich cartographic treasures. The British Maps of Malta is another significant MMS publication authored by Emanuel Chetcuti and Joseph Schurò, that accompanied a thematic map exhibition of the same period, hosted at MUŻA in collaboration with Heritage Malta. Additionally, a limited-edition facsimile of the 18th-century map of the Grand Harbour drawn by Grapé, an officer in the de Saxe Regiment, printed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of Bank of Valletta, was donated to the Faculty of Arts Library.
The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to exchange positive reflections on the longstanding collaboration between the Malta Map Society, the Department of Geography, and MUŻA. Over the years, this partnership has yielded numerous joint initiatives, including annual invitations for undergraduate Geography students to attend MMS exhibition events, talks, and conferences, as well as map-viewing sessions at MUŻA. Other highlights of this collaboration include the “Meet the Collector” sessions with Mr Schirò and, more recently, a student competition for article contributions to the annual Malta Map Society Journal. Dr Ritienne Gauci is also a regular contributor to this journal, where she has published research-based articles and supports the editorial work led by Mr Schirò.
This meeting reaffirmed the future collaborative commitment between the Malta Map Society, the Department of Geography, and MUŻA to teaching, research, and the promotion of cartographic heritage, to further strengthen this partnership and to ensure the continued appreciation and study of Malta’s rich cartographic legacy.
