On Friday 20 April 2012, members of the staff and ex-employees of the Gozo Public Libraries gave a farewell dinner in honour of Mr George Borg, on the occasion of his retirement from the service. Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono, presided over the occasion. Mr George Borg has just ended an eighteen-year period of service as Senior Assistant Librarian, with the responsibility for the administration of all the public libraries in Gozo.

Those who make use of the Public Library services in Gozo at Vajrinġa Street, Victoria, must have certainly benefited from the services offered by Mr George Borg. For it was quite impossible for anyone to ever find Mr Borg sitting behind his desk. Whenever a person inquired something, Mr Borg put aside what he was doing to see to the needs of the researcher. Many a time he would climb up ladders to serve the public and ensure that the Gozo Library offered the best service ever to students, researchers, and scholars. His satisfaction was to see the general public making full use of the services offered.

Since his appointment as Senior Assistant Librarian for Gozo, Mr George Borg did his utmost to enhance the services offered by this cultural centre in the heart of Gozo and to make it more accessible to the public. It was due to his initiative that the Library acquired an ever increasing number of reference works. This initiative attracted many researchers and students of different ages, not only from Gozo but also from the sister island of Malta, who often call at the Gozo Library for a service that for some reason or another was wanting at the libraries in Malta, including the University Library.

Mr George Borg introduced school visits to the Library both from Primary and Secondary Schools. This he did alongside other activities throughout the whole year such as an annual exhibition on the occasion of World Book Day. For George Borg, promotion of the Library and its services was of major importance. He also promoted the Library by writing in the local press and by taking part in radio and television programmes. During the last years, he worked hard to computerise all Library book catalogues and to introduce accessibility to the internet at the Library.

After forty long years, the services of George Borg at the Gozo Public Library came to an end. The Honorable Minister for Gozo described Mr Borg as an exemplary civil servant. The Public Library, indeed the whole public service, has lost one of its most dedicated civil servants in Gozo and it will not be easy to substitute him. In the name of the staff of the Gozo Public Library, I wish Mr Borg a well-earned and deserved rest.

■ Francesco Pio Attard

Gozo