At this year’s Mabel Strickland Memorial Lecture, international negotiator and mediator Nomi Bar-Yaacov argued that democracies are entering a period in which the crisis extends beyond censorship or attacks on journalists alone. As wars multiply, trust in institutions weakens, and information becomes increasingly mediated through algorithmic systems, the deeper problem may be that societies are losing their ability to agree on what is true in the first place.
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Academic libraries are often framed as quiet repositories of knowledge, but their influence runs deeper. As student mental health concerns intensify, these spaces are emerging as critical environments for connection, comfort, and care. Beyond books and databases, the design, atmosphere, and activities of a library can shape how students feel, cope, and belong within the wider university experience.
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When systems stop working in the interest and favour of all, staying quiet can feel impossible. Across Malta, many young people are beginning to step forward because something inside them refuses to remain silent when faced with injustice. THINK meets with two young activists to learn why, despite everything, they choose to keep going.
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Students are already using Artificial Intelligence, so what should libraries do about it? Drawing on research and observation at the University of Malta Library, this intern-led article investigates how students actually use AI, and whether library services are keeping pace. It ultimately reframes the conversation: not what libraries can build, but what users truly need.
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HUMS marked the conferment of an honorary doctorate on Dr Andrè Callus by inviting him to discuss his activism in detail, shedding light not only on his background but also on the meaning behind the activism. The unique and personal insights offered by Callus illuminate the context within which one of Malta’s leading NGOs operates, and what has made it a success.
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What does it take for a micro-economy like Malta’s to sustain a thriving book industry? How can local authors compete with international markets, and what economic challenges are shaping the literary world? With its inaugural edition, ‘The Economy and the Book’, the National Book Council’s first Annual Book Conference sets out to answer these questions, bringing together key players to contemplate the industry’s future.
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A once significantly smaller arts and culture sector is stepping out of the shadows. At a recent Vision 2050 consultation, policymakers, artists, and academics explored how creativity can shape the nation’s future, balancing heritage, innovation, and economic growth. From theatre to publishing, gymnastics to urban design, the long-overlooked Cinderella sector is finally being recognised as central to Malta’s social and economic story.
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‘Dusk Dialogues: Conversations on Accessibility’ was a talk which revealed the parallels across the domains of art and education, as both rely on imagination, storytelling, and embodied experience to make ideas more accessible. Speakers Prof. Adrian-Mario Gellel from UM and curator Gabriel Zammit argue that true access can open pathways for everyone, from young people all the way to adulthood.
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How much is Comino worth? €2,000,000? €20,000,000? Surely it is priceless? Yet, when it comes to economics and policy, priceless often means worthless. THINK examines how putting a price on the environment could actually protect it.
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THINK meets with National Book Prize winner, Prof. Mary Darmanin, to discuss Maltese children’s profound understanding of teacher relationships and educational justice.
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