Managers from within the Atlas Group recently visited the National Library to give a helping hand to New Leaf, a non-profit organisation, whose objective is to preserve books and assist with projects at both the National Library of Malta and the public lending libraries.

Those attending were first given a brief talk by Donald Briffa, New Leaf’s secretary and an Assistant Librarian at the National Library. Mr Briffa covered the history of the Library, together with a viewing of some of the Library’s valued works. He explained that the Library constantly requires teams of book cleaners to care for the extensive collection of priceless books, most of which date back to the 16th and 17th century.

Following the talk, Atlas managers spent the afternoon assisting the book restoration section by removing and dusting of books, cleaning and polishing to preserve the various collections and volumes.

“We really enjoyed the hands-on experience of contributing something positive, and meeting the restorers. As a company, we feel it is important to give something back to the community, in the preservation of our history, particularly our National Library which houses such a rich heritage,” said Matthew von Brockdorff, Atlas Deputy Managing Director.