Legal sourceswithin the University of Malta Library are located within the Main Library, andalso within the specialised Faculty of Laws and Theology Library. The latter houses resources in both print andelectronic formats, to support the curriculum and research requirements of theFaculty of Laws and the Faculty of Theology. In addition, this specialised library also contains print dissertationsrelated to law and theology.
LOCATION OF LEGAL MATERIALS The University ofMalta Library provides access to numerous legal materials and sources of legalmaterials, both in hard copy and electronic versions. The variouslocations within the Main Library where legal materials can be found are: · Melitensia· SecondFloor· Periodicalssection· Referencesection· online SOURCES OF LAW When carrying outresearch on law and legal topics, it is relevant to distinguish between primary sources and secondary sources of law. Primary Sources Primary sourcesare the laws themselves, and are considered mandatory authority that a courtmust follow within a jurisdiction.
Constitutions, legislation, administrativeregulations, and cases in the same jurisdiction are all primary sources. Malta’s primarysources of law include the following: · The Laws of Malta: Melitensia contains all the Laws of Malta from 1813 onwards.The Laws of Malta website1is a compilation of all the principal legislation currently in force, regularlyupdated with amendments and new legislation approved by Parliament. Therefore, this is the best source for thecurrent laws of Malta as the website always shows the most current and officialversion, with any amendments to existing legislation integrated within theoriginal text.· Subsidiary legislation:The Laws of Malta website includes all the subsidiary legislation currently inforce, regularly updated with new Legal Notices and amending Legal Notices asdisseminated. Subsidiary legislation is also housed in the Reference Department of the MainLibrary.
· Parliamentary debates:Melitensiahouses parliamentary debates from 1860 onwards.Actsof Parliament are located in the Reference Department.TheParlament website2also provides online access to various documents and reports by parliamentarycommittees from current and previous legislatures, Acts of Parliament, Bills,Ministerial Statements, papers laid, parliamentary questions, motions, andrulings. It also lists agendas, motions and orders of the day for everyparliamentary sitting, Live streaming and various audio and video links are alsopublicly available.· The Constitution of Malta:The Melitensia stores Maltese constitutions from 1921, 1936, 1947, 1959, 1961,1964, and 1974. The most current Constitution, together with any subsidiarylegislation made under the Consitution, is accessible online at justiceservices.gov.mt.
· Court decisions:http://justiceservices.gov.mt/courtservices/Judgements/default.aspx comprises judgements given bythe Malta Courts of Justice from 1944 onwards under “Sentenzi Online”. Thesystem also shows partial judgements (sentenzi in parte).
The Melitensia also houses a collection of judgements given from 1854 to 2004,called “Kollezzjoni ta’ De?i?jonijiet tal-Qrati Superjuri ta’ Malta”,and the “Kollezzjoni ta’ De?i?jonijiet tal-Qrati Inferjuri ta’Malta” (1939/1989).Various volumes of “Kollezzjoni ta’ De?i?jonijiet tal-Qrati Superjuri ta’Malta” can also be found online as eBooks through various digitallibraries3,4,5,6The Reference Department contains a number of other primary sources of MalteseLaw, including:o “De?i?jonijiet tat-Tribunal ta’l-Arbitra??g?al Malta,1949-1973”: These are some of the more important Malta Arbitration TribunalAwards, related to industrial disputes.o “?abra tas-Sentenzi tat-Tribunalita’ dawn il-G?ejjer”(vols 1-65): a collection of themore important decisions of the main Administrative Tribunals including theAgricultural Leases Board, the Rent Regulation Board, the old Arbitration Board,and the Industrial Tribunal.o “De?i?jonijietKostituzzjonali 1964-1978”: selectionof decisions from the Malta Constitutional Court o “De?i?jonijiet Dwar l-Ippjanar”:Decisions of the Planning Appeals Board, appeals from these decisions to theCourt of Appeal, and cabinet decisions from the Planning Appeals Boardrecommendations. · The Malta Government Gazette:The most up-to-date and official source of Maltese legislation is theGovernment Gazette, published twice weekly by the Department of Information,together with Supplements A, B, C and D. Supplement A consists of legislation as it is carried throughParliament. Supplement B contains subsidiary legislation (regulations, bylaws,legal notices, and so on). Supplement C contains White Papers and Bills.
Supplement D contains local council bylaws. Issues from 1813 to 2012 of theMalta Government Gazette and Supplements are available at the MelitensiaDepartment. Issues from June 2003onwards are accessible online7. Secondary sourcesexplain and interpret the law. Decisions from courts in other jurisdictions,encyclopedias, legal dictionaries, dissertations, theses, journal articles, lawnotes, and books on legal topics are considered secondary sources. 1justiceservices.gov.mt/LOM.aspx?pageid=242Parlament.mt3books.google.com.mt4hathitrust.org5readanybook.com6archive.org7gov.mt
