Jersey Archive

Since 1 November 2004, Jersey Archive has offered a reduced service to the public. For details, please see the How to find and contact us and Planning your visit sections.

How to find and contact us

Opening Hours: 9am to 1pm, 2pm to 5pm Tuesday to Thursday. Last Thursday in the month (except December): 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 7pm (last document production time 6.15pm).

The Archive is closed between 1pm and 2pm.

Jersey Archive is closed for its annual stock-take during the first full week in December. For further details please contact the Archive on 01534-833300 or email Jersey Archive.

Introduction
Archives are the records which organisations and individuals have produced in the course of business and their daily lives. They are, in essence, the Island's written memory, a unique and irreplaceable source of information about the past extending over many centuries.

The Jersey Archive was established in 1993 to collect and preserve the records, no matter what their physical form, of the States of Jersey, States Committees and Departments, the Royal Court, H.E. Lieutenant-Governor, Parishes, Churches, Businesses, Societies, and individuals relating to the Island.

Access

As well as collecting records the Jersey Archive is committed to making them and information about them as widely available to the public as possible.

The Jersey Archive Open Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) enables you to identify records that you wish to see. The OPAC allows you to search for any names, places or subjects you are interested in with a detailed search option also available. The OPAC can be used at the Jersey Archive and also over the Internet.

If you cannot visit us in person we will gladly answer any written, e-mail or telephone enquiries about the records in our care. Family history enquiries may be answered by the Channel Islands Family History Society's experienced volunteers.

Preservation

The long term preservation and security of the records is our highest priority.

Records may be donated, or deposited on long term loan whereby ownership remains with the depositor. All our donors and depositors will receive a receipt and professionally prepared catalogue of the records. There is no charge for depositing records with us.

Once catalogued, documents are carefully packed in acid free materials and stored in the correct environmental conditions.

Conservation

The conservation workshop is a resource that will contribute to our commitment to providing access to Jersey's archival heritage, while assuring its preservation.

This facility will provide specialised care to maintain the condition of the collections, and repair items that are too fragile to allow use in the Reading Room. The materials and techniques used will, at the minimum, conform to British Standards.

Channel Islands Family History Society

The collection of the Channel Islands Family History Society is available in the reference area of the Jersey Archive. This collection includes books, family trees and indices of baptisms, marriages, burials and censuses prepared by members of the Society. Volunteers from the Society are regularly on duty to assist visitors researching family history.

For address and telephone details see Planning your Visit.