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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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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What if an invisible energy could both reveal disease and help cure it? From diagnostic scans to targeted cancer therapy, radiation drives some of medicine’s most powerful tools. Understanding how this force can both benefit and harm patients is key to using it safely, responsibly, and to its greatest clinical advantage.
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You’re alone in a dark room, your laptop casting flickering shadows as a horror film builds to a crescendo. The music tightens. A breath catches. Something is coming. And you? You can’t look away. In fact, no matter how absolutely terrified you are, you’re loving every second of this. How does that make sense?
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‘Fun, exciting and challenging’ is how Federica, NOVA logistics officer, described her undergraduate experience with UM’s Department of Digital Arts. Now in their final year, the Bachelor of Fine Arts cohort, guided by Dr Trevor Borg, is dotting all the i’s and crossing all their t’s in preparation for their thesis exhibition. THINK took the opportunity to talk with a few members of the logistics team to learn what NOVA is all about.
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For her second-year physiology research project conducted under the supervision of Chev. Prof. Renald Blundell from UM’s Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Courtney Ekezie focused on sustainable food systems and their impact on human health. The study briefly mentioned culinary medicine – an aspect that later inspired this article for THINK.
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Have you ever thought about the social implications of sounds? Daniel Gafà explored the locality of Birżebbuġa through its soundscapes. His study highlights the role that sounds play in shaping residents’ sense of place.
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University of Malta alumnus proposes the first-ever definition of a ‘micromuseum’. Dr John Vella, a doctoral graduate of the Mediterranean Institute, conducted this research after successfully defending his thesis on grassroots museums under the supervision of Prof. John Chircop. Vella continues to research and publish studies on themes concerning such museums.
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Natalie Formosa shares her findings on private artists’ archives in Malta and the nation’s role in preserving such collections.
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From the perspective of a student and an academic, how can ChatGPT be used in academia? Nathanael Schembri explores how the AI could be used to aid in assessments as well as scholarly work; such as in writing dissertations and research papers.
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