Meanwhile, the Council and the firm have proposed extending the library’s opening hours till late at night; as it stands, it closes its doors in the early afternoon, prohibiting several people from visiting after work.

The new open spaces will also be able to host public events, seminars, and informal events, gravitating around culture, literature, education and leisure activities, attracting more people to the library in the process.

“Our office has always been fascinated by the relationship between the natural world and the work of man, between landscaping and architecture,” Konrad Buhagiar, executive director of AP Valletta, explained.

“Many of our projects exploit the beautiful marriage between the two worlds.”

Meanwhile, AP Valletta’s executive director David Felice quoted Cicero as saying that “if you have a garden in a library, then nothing is missing”.

National Book Council chairman Mark Camilleri said public libraries are an essential part of the book industry and an important national asset.

“We should make sure that public libraries are accessible, attractive and welcoming to the public,” he said.

“The current state of affairs leaves much to be desired, and with our plan, we hope to regenerate the Central Public Library and increase its use at an exponential rate. We have to look to the future with concrete plans which are effective. Being complacent is not an option.” 

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