School in Archival Studies

The University of Malta’s Department of Library, Information & Archive Sciences and Department of History, in collaboration with the State Archive of Florence and the HMML's Malta Study Center, are glad to announce the first edition of the School in Archival Studies: “Malta and the Order of St. John in Europe (16th–18th centuries). Documents, People, Institutions.”

This School aims at offering a unique opportunity to gain knowledge on archival records related to Malta and the Order of St. John in Europe, with a special emphasis on the unexplored Hospitaller archives in Florence. The program focuses on training students in analyzing, cataloging, and researching Hospitaller records. It will also delve into the multiple historical and legal frameworks in which the documents were produced and preserved and the institutions involved in these dynamics. Insights into the Order of St. John’s history, going from nobility and property management to institutional workings, diplomacy, and spirituality, will be provided.

As part of the school, students will visit the Malta Study Center’s digitization studios in Florence and be introduced to the basics of modern digitization practices within an archival setting. The visits will discuss the importance of preparing materials for photography and adapting digitization methods for different types of documents.

The School in Archival Studies will be held at the State Archive of Florence from September 15-19, 2025, and will include class-based lectures, archival laboratories with cataloging sessions, and site visits to private archives and collections. Various experts will teach in the School.

The School in Archival Studies can host a maximum of 30 participants and is open to students in their second to third year of undergraduate studies up to PhD level, to professionals in the field of archives, as well as a wider interested public (subject to space availability). The selection of participants will be made by a Board of partners.