Jersey Archive Annual Report 2022.

2022 ANNUAL REPORT

ON THE WORK OF JERSEY HERITAGE AND THE ARCHIVIST UNDER THE PUBLIC RECORDS (JERSEY) LAW, 2002

R.72/2023

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION  3 A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR JERSEY AND PUBLIC RECORDS 4 RECORDS ADVISORY PANEL  5 IDENTIFICATION OF ARCHIVES  6 CASE STUDY PUBLIC RECORDS LAW COMPLIANCE AUDIT 7 TRANSFER OF ARCHIVES  8 CASE STUDY DIGITAL RECORDS  9 PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION AND SECURITY  10 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS  11 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES CATALOGUING AND INDEXING  12 CASE STUDY BACKLOG PRIORITISATION  13 ACCESS TO ARCHIVES IN PERSON AND ONLINE  14 CASE STUDY FAMILY HISTORY FESTIVAL RETURNS  15 RECORDS OPENED, JANUARY 2023  16 MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT  17

ARCHIVE ACCREDITATION  18 APPENDIX A  19

PUBLIC RECORDS TRANSFERRED IN 2022

APPENDIX B  24 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

APPENDIX C  26 ARCHIVE FUNDING

INTRODUCTION

Archives contain the documented stories of our lives, communities and Island. The role of Jersey Archive is to select and preserve these unique stories, care for them and keep them safe for current and future generations to research, learn from and enjoy.

Records Management and the identification and transfer of material to Jersey Archive is a key part of the Public Records (Jersey) Law, 2002. In 2022 we transferred 29.2 cubic metres, over 2,000 boxes of documents to the archive. We also worked with departments and public institutions across Government reviewing and updating 37 retention schedules.

Archives are for everyone and engage a local, national and international audience. In 2022 we welcomed researchers in person from Jersey, England, America, Canada and Australia to Jersey Archive. Our online catalogue catered for a global audience with over 220,000 individual users logging on for over 300,000 sessions of research. Jersey Heritage volunteers are key to the development of the online catalogue and in 2022 our volunteers added over 20,000 descriptions, indexes and images of key records.

In 2022 we strengthened our partnerships within the Heritage Community by working with the SociØtØ Jersiaise to relaunch our online catalogue as a joint service. We now provide researchers with the opportunity to search the archive, museum, photographic and library collections cared for by both organisations at the same time.

At the end of the year Jersey Archive took part in the Public Services Quality Group (PSQG) survey of visitors to archives throughout Britain. Jersey Archive received a score of 9.8 out of 10 for the overall service with 9.9 out of 10 for the availability, attitude and quality of staff s advice.

Thanks to additional funding from the Government of Jersey the team at Jersey Archive has developed over the past three years, allowing us to give public institutions more support in records management, catalogue and conserve more records and work to deal with the challenges of digital preservation. We are also supporting professional training programmes for Archivists and Conservators and developing the next generation of heritage professionals for the Island.

Comments in the PSQG survey are testament to the strong team at the archive and their knowledge and commitment to both the preservation and provision of access to the unique archives we care for.

 I always find the staff here amazingly helpful and willing to add to my knowledge.

 Lovely staff, very helpful and engaged.

The impact of archives on peoples wellbeing and the willingness of the staff to go the extra mile can be summed up in an enquiry from an 88-year lady who remembered coming to Jersey in 1949 and seeing the pantomime Mother Goose.

 I have been in touch with my friend who was with us on that trip. She and I did not stop laughing at things we remembered and we were on the phone for ages. Both she and I now have difficulty walking around due

to Arthritis and recalling those days when we were young dancers was

a tonic. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the wonderful reminders of such carefree days. You have made two ladies so very happy so again thank you for your kindness.

Linda Romeril

Archives and Collections Director, April 2023

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR JERSEY AND PUBLIC RECORDS

In 2022 the Government published A Heritage Strategy for Jersey. In his foreword to the strategy Deputy Kirsten Morel indicate d that;

 The Heritage Strategy lays a roadmap for the allocation of funding to strengthen our knowledge

of Jersey s history and to encourage even more islanders to engage with our cultural, natural and built environments.

The strategy uses the Heritage Cycle Model in which the goal is a virtuous circle where heritage is continuously strengthened over time. The Cycle reflects the key duties and responsibilities given to Jersey Heritage and the Archivist under the Public Records Law.

Understanding heritage means both the detailed understanding that comes from research .and the holistic understanding of the landscape

Understanding can be manifested in the Public Records Law through the appointment of appropriate professional staff and the detailed collaboration between archive staff and subject specialists within public institutions.

 Valuing manifests in collecting objects, identifying public records for retentions and listing buildings for example.

The Public Records Law gives the Archivist responsibility to appraise public records and survey the disposal of records identifying which records, based on detailed understanding of the institutions, should be retained for permanent preservation.

 Caring involves protection and conservation of heritage assets following from the identification of their significance

Caring, protection and conservation is one of the key principles in the Public Records Law and is reflected in one of Jersey Heritage s principal duties under the Law of

 maintaining a public records office for the safe keeping of public records .

 Enjoyment comes from sharing the value of heritage through access, interpretation and education programmes and often leads to the desire for deepening understanding. Further research leads to new values being revealed and so the cycle continues.

The access to archives is also one of the key duties of the Archivist in the law [to] have the management of the public records in the custody or control of the Trust and make them available for public access

My annual report focuses on the main areas of activity for Jersey Heritage under the Public Records Law; the identification, transfer, conservation, preservation, cataloguing and provision of access to the unique material that is held at Jersey Archive on behalf of the public.

RECORDS ADVISORY PANEL

The Records Advisory Panel has recently been reconstituted with the welcome addition of Clive Jones a former Trustee and Chairman of Jersey Heritage and Catherine Kirby, a qualified archivist. One final vacancy is currently under consideration. Our thanks go to Jeremy Harris , the outgoing Chairman, and to Mary Billot and Mike Sunier, for their contributions and wise counsel over many years.

The extension to the Archive buildings was open for business in 2022. It is a function of the Panel to advise public institutions with respect to their duties under

the Public Records (Jersey) Law 2002. This involves the public institution working with the Archivist to review information types, deciding what should be kept, for how long, and what may be disposed of with the agreement of the Archivist.

We are keen to ensure that the resulting retention schedules are kept up to date and signed off by the public institution and the Archive, and then acted upon, promptly. Draft schedules should ideally be finalised within a very short timeframe. There remain a number of draft schedules in place for a number of years, and the Panel would hope to see these being converted to signed-off schedules this year. The Archivist would be delighted to help institutions with this work.

The increase in the number of digitally created records has introduced the need to ensure that they remain accessible, and that their file formats are accordingly updated. Public institutions are politely reminded

that paper records which have been digitised and are identified as archival should be retained and transferred

to the Archive to ensure no important detail is lost. The Archivist is happy to review all records due to be digitised and share expertise on digitisation programmes.

It is heart-warming to read the comments of Jersey Archive users underlining how important the information held here and the help and assistance of staff have

been to them. The Panel is rightly proud of the skill

and commitment of staff and is particularly pleased about the training in conservation and cataloguing

that has been undertaken in 2022, and the continued work to tackle the backlog of cataloguing material. It

is no surprise to learn that the Archive has once again achieved Full Archive Accreditation, and will continue to work diligently on improvement for the future.

Anne Harris

Records Advisory Panel Chair, April 2023

PUBLIC RECORDS LAW COMPLIANCE IDENTIFICATION OF ARCHIVES  

The identification of public records of historic value is one of the key roles of the Archivist and the team at Jersey Archive. It is vitally important that we work with departments and subject specialists

to select which records we should retain to continue to tell Jersey s unique story.

The tool that is used to identify archival material is the departmental retention schedule which lists the records produced by the institution, the length of time they should be kept and then whether they are confidentially disposed of or transferred to Jersey Archive for permanent retention.

Retention schedules are produced following consultation between the team at Jersey Archive and the public institution responsible for the creation of the records. This collaborative approach, set out in the law, allows Jersey Archive staff to provide an independent, archiving and research perspective on the retention of records and for the institution to provide subject matter expertise and information on any legal and administrative requirements for retention.

The Law defines a record as information that is created or received in the conduct of a corporate, institutional or individual activity and has such content, context and structure as to provide evidence of the activity. The Law is format neutral and therefore covers both physical and digital records. The Law goes on to define public records as any record that has been created or received by a public institution in the performance of its functions.

These broad descriptions of both records and public records mean that every year millions of records produced by public institutions, from emails to minutes

of meetings and application forms to acts of Court, are covered by the Public Records Law.

CASE STUDY - PUBLIC RECORDS LAW COMPLIANCE AUDIT

At the beginning of 2021, 2022 and 2023 the team at Jersey Archive carried out a major compliance audit which looked at each Government department, the functions and sections within that department, the retention schedules in place and their last review date. The audit also highlighted the last time that records were transferred to the archive. Generic retention schedules and schedules for Arm s Length Organisations were not included in the main audit.

The Public Records Officer within each department was sent a list of retention schedules in place with the last review and transfer dates and asked to meet with the team at Jersey Archive to discuss:

   Any schedules that, following Government restructure, do not belong in your department   Any new schedules that need to be created to cover new work streams

   Any schedules that need to be reviewed

   Any records, either physical or digital, that need to be transferred

Copies of the compliance audit for each department were also sent to the Government of Jersey Corporate Records Management team.

The audit conducted in 2023 has shown that 37 retention schedules were reviewed by the team at the archive and the public institution and signed off by the Archivist and Departmental Public Records Officer during the course of 2022.

However, as the following table shows, 43% of schedules currently in place were signed off over five years ago. With the restructure of Government Departments and changes in working practices within different functions of Government it is important that the schedules are reviewed with the Archivist at least every five years to ensure that new records are added and their retention and ultimate disposal is identified from the date that they are created.

In February 2023 the Archivist contacted each department to request meetings to review the audit and any retention schedules over five years old.

PUBLIC RECORDS LAW COMPLIANCE - TRANSFER OF ARCHIVES

Once public records have been defined as having archival value in the institution s retention schedule it is a requirement of the Public Records Law that those records are transferred to Jersey Archive after 20 years. The law allows for records to be transferred sooner if this is agreed by the institution and archive. In the majority of cases an earlier transfer is preferable to prevent physical records being retained in unsuitable storage conditions or digital records being allowed to become obsolete.

In 2022 29 cubic metres of physical records were transferred to Jersey Archive. 27 digital collections were also transferred to Jersey Archive over the course of

the year. This included the official video footage of the proclamation of King Charles III in the Royal Square and the records of the Jersey Covid Review Panel.

Each new collection that arrives at Jersey Archive is accessioned on our collections management database. The accession record includes a basic description of the contents of the collection, the transferring department and section, the amount of records transferred and

the location of the collection in the Jersey Archive strongroom. Transfer lists recording the basic contents of the collection are also received from the department. Recording this key information allows us to manage the collection and respond to any enquiries from the department.

A full list of collections of public records can be viewed at Appendix A.

CASE STUDY - TRANSFER - DIGITAL RECORDS

 Everyone relies on the integrity of digital information,  from the citizen to heads of government. It is  

essential that this information is preserved for future  generations, just as traditional records have been  preserved for us on paper and parchment.  

The National Archives website - https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/  

In 2022 we received 16 born digital accessions from public institutions. These  accessions consist of records that have only ever existed in a digital format and  that are preserved in that format for future generations.  

Digital records are stored on the Arkivum system for data management and digital  preservation. The system acts as a virtual strongroom for digital records and allows  us to store the original digital records, create viewing copies and monitor file  format obsolescence with migration to appropriate file formats over time.

The move from the transfer of physical files and volumes to born digital records means that it is advisable to transfer archival public records to the custody of Jersey Archive much sooner that the 20-year limit set out in the Public Records Law. The Law allows for records to be transferred sooner than 20 years and with digital records it is vital that key archives are transferred as soon as possible to avoid accidental deletion and file format obsolescence.

PUBLIC RECORDS LAW COMPLIANCE - CARE OF ARCHIVES - CONSERVATION, PRESERVATION AND SECURITY

The preservation of the unique records that we care for at Jersey Archive is one of the key functions of the service. The transfer of 29 cubic metres

of material in 2022 meant

that archive staff, and the conservation team in particular, spent a significant amount of their time working on cleaning and repackaging these new records.

The amount of preservation work required depended on the type of collection, previous storage conditions, format of the records and age of the documents. Transfers in 2022 included the census returns from 1991, 1996 and 2021 which all need to be sorted and repackaged, plans from Jersey College for Girls that have been cleaned and will be digitised and documents and photographs from a number of schools that have been placed in mellinex, an inert see-through polyester, to ensure their long-term preservation.

The conservation team continued

their detailed treatment and repair of documents in 2022 with the aim of bringing unusable documents back into public access and ensuring their long-

term preservation. We also continued our conservation programme of external book binding, working with Sycamore Bookbinding. Over the course of the year 43 documents were treated, either inhouse or by Sycamore.

The items conserved include hospital admission registers from the early

20th century and admission registers

for local schools from the inter-war period. As admission records both these collections would have been used on a daily basis in a school or hospital setting meaning that the bindings are now very weak.

PUBLIC RECORDS LAW COMPLIANCE - ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Storage of records in the correct environmental conditions ensures that the unique archival material that we care for can be preserved for future generations of researchers. Records that are stored in buildings with high humidity and temperatures are subject to mould growth with significant fluctuations in temperature in a short period of time also putting the records

at risk.

The Records Advisory Panel, as one of their functions under the Public Records (Jersey) Law, have approved BS 4971:2017 Conservation and care of archive and library collections as the standard that we aim to meet. Adherence to this standard is also required as part of Jersey Archive s application to The National Archives Accreditation scheme.

BS 4971:2017 sets out the following criteria for the storage of standard archival collections;

   Humidity of between 35 60%

   Temperature of between 13 C - 23 C with an annual

average of less than 18 C

The strongrooms at Jersey Archive were built to

provide a passive, sustainable way of meeting BS 4971. The strongrooms do not use air-conditioning. 2022

was Jersey s hottest year on record with the highest temperature of 37.9 C being recorded on 18 July. Despite these conditions both the old and new strongroom blocks met the standard for temperature 100% of the time.

The passive system generally allows humidity to be controlled within the range set by the standard with

portable dehumidifiers switched on when the RH reaches  58%. In 2022 all floors in the new strongroom block and  three floors in the original block met the conditions  specified by the standard 100% of the time. The remaining  floor of the old strongroom block only exceeded the  standard on one day of the year.

A final review of the performance of the new strongroom  block was completed by Chris Twinn, the project  Consultant at the end of 2022. The executive summary  states:

 The new Extension included enhanced thermal  insulation and moisture storage abilities  compared with the original building. It is  anticipated that summer peak temperatures and  moisture levels will be further attenuated over the  next couple of years. Throughout the monitoring  period this enhanced thermal performance  resulted in the winter background heating  

not needing to operate, even when outdoor  conditions dropped to below 0C

 The past summer has included summer peak  conditions that significantly exceeded the  long-term historical averages. These conditions are likely to increase in frequency as climate change increases. When the outdoor temperature peaked at 38C during July 2022, the repositories remained at about 20C, in effect delivering 18C of passive cooling. This bodes well for the long- term performance of the repositories.

CATALOGUING AND INDEXING

Once records have been accessioned and the basic contents of the collection recorded they join a list of cataloguing priorities for detailed cataloguing, listing and indexing of each individual file on our online database.

Each collection is rated with a high, medium or low priority in line with our cataloguing priorities policy. When we set the priority level we consider the potential use of the collection, public interest in the collection, any preservation benefits of cataloguing and whether the collection is available to the public or closed for a period of time.

The detailed cataloguing and indexing of archival material requires the staff to have an in-depth knowledge of both the documents they are cataloguing and the history of the department or institution that they came from. Staff need to be able to catalogue a variety of different documents from 15th century French contracts to documents from the German Occupation and bankruptcy papers to 21st century policy files.

In 2022 staff added 9,463 new detailed catalogue descriptions to the online catalogue. This was an increase of 10% compared to 2021 with more staff being involved on cataloguing records and working on the backlog of material to be catalogued.

Public records that were catalogued in 2022 include propositions lodged with the States of Jersey from the 1970s, material from Jersey Post and records from the Parish Administrations. The propositions give us an insight into the key issues of the 1970s and include Draft Family Allowance (Jersey) Regulations from 1974 lodged by the Social Security Committee which show a maximum cash family allowance per child of £145 for families on an income of £800 per year. The collection also contains propositions relating to the establishment of a Museums and Arts Committee, the preservation of the Newgate Street Prison Colonnade and Fa ade and the development of the piazza and barrack rooms at Fort Regent.

Parish records that have now been catalogued consist of the Parish of St Ouen Road s Committee minutes from the 19th and 20th centuries and rates schedules from a number of parishes.

CASE STUDY CATALOGUING AND INDEXING - BACKLOG PRIORITISATION

Jersey Archive was established in 1993, moving to new purpose-built premises in 2000. Since the establishment of the service 885 cubic metres of physical records have been transferred to Jersey Archive. The majority of these records have been transferred by public institutions, under the Public Records Law but collections have

also been donated or deposited by private organisations, families and individuals.

Thanks to Government support through the decision of the States Assembly to commit 1% of its overall annual budget to support the Island s arts, heritage and culture sector and with additional staff now in place to assist with cataloguing we can start to tackle some of the backlog identified in our most recent accreditation report.

 Action to tackle the backlog of uncatalogued or inadequately catalogued material, beginning with addition of collection-level descriptions to the online catalogue.

In 2022 we assessed the physical collections at Jersey Archive and have found that 160 cubic metres of material or 18% of the holdings are only listed at a

basic accession level. These are now our priorities for detailed cataloguing as the remaining 82% of the collections we hold are either fully catalogued, box listed or closed to public access.

In 2023 we plan to review our priorities using a more formal methodology to focus on the 160 cubic metres listed at a basic level. All staff have now undergone cataloguing training and will be working on the detailed cataloguing of collections in 2023.

In 2022 we placed basic descriptions of all uncatalogued private collections on our online catalogue, allowing members of the public to search this material and request in person access at Jersey Archive. All new collections from new depositors are now catalogued at collection-level on arrival at the archive as part of the accessioning process. These descriptions are available as part of the online database.

In 2022 we saw an increase of 38% in research visits to the Jersey Archive building following the Covid pandemic. Throughout the year 2,126 people visited Jersey Archive to carry out their research. This included a welcome return of

off island researchers and genealogists from America, Canada, Australia and the UK. Staff at the archive continued to support people in their research dealing with subjects ranging from family history to the Occupation and house history to Claude Cahun.

 I would like to thank yourself and all of the Jersey Archive team for being so helpful on my recent visit. I was so pleased to have found out new information about my ancestors whilst visiting the Jersey Archive last Thursday. I now know that the Brighton family didn t completely die out but the genes were passed on by Ella and John Thomas Amy and their children. You were so helpful and efficient in tracking down various documents and, although I know it is part of your remit, I really felt you went the extra mile in helping me, so I am so very grateful.

The Jersey Heritage online catalogue is now an essential part of our ability to provide access to archival material for a local and international audience. The table below shows the top ten countries using the online catalogue with percentages of use listed by number of individuals users.

The online catalogue gives access to descriptions of nearly 600,000 documents with nearly 100,000 individual images and over 27,000 pdfs. Subscribers to the catalogue can now access a significant range of resources online from Occupation material to Church baptism, marriage and burials and 19th century hospital records to petitions of the States of Jersey.

 I have been searching through your archives, it takes a little bit of working out, however it is just amazing. Thank you so much for digitizing all these records.

I always knew my family were from Jersey, largely from a family connection to Bruce Trent ( great uncle) . What you have done here is just brilliant!

 I find the Jersey Archive catalogue incredibly useful for my research and have been in to the archive a few times to look at or listen to various things you have. Your indexing is extraordinarily comprehensive and I am amazed by what one can find. Your staff are always tremendously helpful too, I can t praise them enough.

Members of staff continued to answer email and telephone enquiries with 2,417 enquiries answered during the course of 2022. This included 186 enquiries from Public Institutions into the records that we hold on their behalf.

These enquiries included FOI requests, requests for loans of documents, records management and conservation advice. Staff also interact on a regular basis with the local media and during 2020 we responded to 44 requests for interviews, information and use of archive documents in local reports.

CASE STUDY ACCESS

FAMILY HISTORY FESTIVAL RETURNS IN-PERSON AND ONLINE

2022 saw the return of our Family History  Festival, a weekend of workshops, talks  and one-on-one research sessions  

focused on helping individuals to start to  discover the stories of their ancestors. We  welcomed Celia Heritage, UK Genealogist,  to the Island to deliver two talks focusing  on researching English, Welsh, Scott ish and  Irish ancestors.  

We delivered the festival both in-person and online  for the first time, allowing people to join talks at  Jersey Archive and also to listen live at home. Our  listeners included a couple from Australia who  stayed up late to listen to our sessions introducing  them to the sources they could use to start to learn  more about their Jersey connections.  

 A huge thanks for the Family  History weekend. I was unable to  attend in person so participated  in the webinars instead. Oh my  goodness they were first class.  

In 2022 we also continued our programme of  

 What s Your Town s Story talks and at the end of the  year we launched our new Your Home, Your Story  programme, connecting with local communities  

and asking individuals to nominate their homes for  research.  

RECORDS OPENED, JANUARY 2023

Every year public records held at Jersey Archive, that are closed to the public, are reviewed after periods of 30, 50, 75 and 100 years. In 2022 338 files were due to be reviewed and in January 2023 71% of these records were opened to public access.

Records opened to the public after 100 years included the minutes of the Public Assistance Committee, which was created in 1906 and assumed responsibilities for the administration of public assistance and the running of the General Hospital. The Committee was responsible for the internal poor, those resident in the General Hospital for reasons of poverty rather than illness, and the external poor, who were given monthly pensions but not taken into the hospital.

The Committee Meeting of 6 August 1918 gives an overview of the work of the Committee and the stories of some of the people that they helped. The first business for the Committee was the award of a monthly pension of £1 to Adele Brochard who was 79 and described as a native of France. Adele was the widow of Pierre Le Blond and had lived in Jersey for approximately 67 years.

The Secretary then reported to the Committee that Edouard Perree had been admitted into the General Hospital on 3 May 1918. Edouard had previously received a monthly pension and his household goods had been sold for the sum of £11 15s. This sum was given to the Treasurer of the States with the instruction that it go into the account for helping the external poor. Edouard was 86 when he entered the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. He remained at the hospital for a further nine years until he died at the age of 95.

The Committee also dealt with staff matters, appointing nurses including Kate Shaw who was appointed as a Staff Nurse receiving £34 salary per year. The Committee ended the meeting by reviewing the number of internal poor at the hospital with 231 registered at the end of June 1918. During the month of July there were 43 admissions of internal poor to the hospital with 35 leaving and 5 deaths making a total of 234 individuals at the end of the month. The number of visitors to the internal poor were also monitored with 1,376 over a 13-day period.

Records open to the public after 75 years include a file from Immigration, then the

 Alien s Office . The file begins with a letter from Rudolf Reich of Vienna to the Alien s Office in Jersey. The letter is dated 16 September 1938, six months after German troops had invaded Austria and incorporated the country into the German Reich in what was known as the Anschluss. The letter shows that Rudolf and his family were Jewish. The family consisted of Rudolf s wife and daughter who had already been

able to find work in England and Rudolf and his son Erich who are applying to come to Jersey.

In the letter Rudolph asks;

 I beg you once more to help my unhappy son and me out of our miserable situation. We are both healthy and willing to do every work. I expect an answer in a short time, which will save us and give us a possibility to live as human beings.

Following the annexation of Austria, during the spring, summer and autumn of 1938 waves of street violence against Jewish people and their property swept through Vienna and other Austrian cities. Rudolph was clearly looking to escape this regime. Rudolph s application was passed to Government House who sought the opinion of the Defence Committee. The Defence Committee considered the application but recommended that it would be undesirable that the application be granted. Rudolph is informed of the Committee s decision but writes back again asking the Island Authorities to reconsider, however, the response is that the decision is final.

MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT

The Records Advisory Panel was established  under the Public Records (Jersey) Law, 2002.  The panel is required to meet at least twice  each year and part of its role is to review  

the performance under the Law of Jersey  Heritage, the Archivist and public institutions.  A new panel was sworn in by the Royal Court  in 2022 comprising two previous and two  new members. There is one vacant space on  the panel which is due to be filled in 2023.  

The panel met four times in 2022. In the new panel s  initial meeting they received a presentation giving  

an overview of the Law and the staffing structure  

and functions of Jersey Archive. The panel went on  

to discuss the Archivist s Annual Report for 2021, the  Jersey Heritage Cataloguing Policies and backlog of  archive records to be catalogued and the position of  Arm s Length Organisations under the Law. The panel  also reviewed retention schedules for two departments  and received an environmental monitoring report on  the strongroom conditions at Jersey Archive.  

The Government of Jersey Central Data Protection  Unit Manager and Corporate Records Officer  attended the June and December meetings of the  panel to give an update on records management  within the Government of Jersey and plans for future  developments.  

ARCHIVE ACCREDITATION

The Archive has full Archive Accreditation at the highest level after re-applying to The National Archive scheme in 2020. In 2021 we received the results of our accreditation submission and were delighted that the service was awarded accredited status for the second time.

In their findings the Accreditation Panel noted that they;

  welcomed this positive update from a highly effective archive service which consistently reflects on and continues to develop its role. They commended the strong support of the Jersey government; this investment is being well used to build the archive service s presence and to increase its productive contribution to the life of the island.

The Panel s Key Findings were listed as follows;

 An introductory film describes the collections at Jersey Archive as the beating heart of our Island s story . There is no doubt that the service makes a major contribution to both the heritage and good governance of Jersey and enjoys a high and positive profile on the island.

The assessment team was struck with the coherence of Jersey Archive s policies, plans and procedures. Following its previous successful accreditation application, the service has continued to make strong progress in key areas, including archives accommodation, staff levels and digital preservation.

The staff of Jersey Archive form a strong team, with excellent leadership and managerial support at a high level. The service makes good use of its position within the wider Jersey Heritage Trust for cross-sectoral working, joined-up collections management, and enhanced access opportunities .

The Accreditation Panel made the following recommendations for improvement before full reapplication in 2026.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS  

ARCHIVE FUNDING

Jersey Heritage receives an annual grant from the Government of Jersey to run a wide  maintenance, collections management, finance and human resources. As a result of of range of services including the provision of an archive. Jersey Archive is an integral  these shared central costs it is difficult to give a definitive stand-alone figure which part of Jersey Heritage and the public of Jersey benefit from the overall synergies  reflects the exact cost of running the Jersey Archive service. However, the table below between the provision of archive, historic environment and museum services.  gives an indication of spend in different areas of the archive services operations. Synergies include central support services across the organisation such as buildings

This table does not include IT, telephones and computer support costs, insurance and rates and training costs which are all held centrally.

Archives sit at the heart of our collective understanding: who we are, where we came from, and, indeed, where we are going.

Archives Unlocked, The National Archive

Jersey Archive,

Clarence Road,

St Helier, Jersey JE2 4JY

Telephone: +44 (0) 1534 833300 Email: archives@jerseyheritage.org