We extend our warm thanks to all our visitors, supporters and volunteers for their continued interest and support. We look forward to welcoming you to the Lord Coutanche Library in 2026.
Visitors
2025 proved to be a particularly busy and rewarding year for the Lord Coutanche Library, with a notable increase in both visitor numbers and enquiries.
A total of 918 visitors attended the Library in person during the year, representing a 65% increase on the previous year. In addition, Library staff responded to just over 1,100 enquiries received in person, by telephone and via email.
Engagement with our digital resources continued to grow at an impressive rate. During the year, 26,824 users accessed our online collections, with most activity focused on the newspaper and Bulletin collections.
While the majority of online users were based in Jersey, we were delighted to see growing interest from further afield, including Guernsey, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, the United States and Australia.
Volunteers
The Librarian is extremely grateful for the continued commitment and dedication of our volunteers. In 2025, volunteers generously contributed a total of 398 hours to the work of the Library.
We extend our sincere thanks to all our wonderful volunteers. Your generous contribution of time, skills and knowledge continues to have a meaningful and lasting impact year after year, and we are deeply appreciative of your ongoing support.
A Growing Team
The Library team was strengthened in 2025 with the arrival of Jeremy Percival, who joined as Library Assistant. A long-standing member of the Société Jersiaise, Jeremy plays an important role in supporting day-to-day operations, assisting visitors and contributing to major cataloguing projects.
The Collection
During the year, 499 items were accessioned into the Library’s collection. Throughout 2025, the Library also undertook retrospective cataloguing, ensuring that an increasing number of books and archival materials are visible and accessible through our online catalogue. Alongside this work, we have been processing two significant collections generously donated to the Library.
Maps
The Lord Coutanche Library’s collection of maps of Jersey and the Channel Islands was significantly enriched in 2025 by the donation of more than 400 maps. This remarkable gift adds an exciting new dimension to our holdings, offering valuable insights into the cartographic history and development of Jersey and the Channel Islands over several centuries.
Cataloguing of the map collection within the Library’s online database is currently underway, and further updates will be shared as the project progresses. Once completed, visitors will be able to view these exceptional maps in person and explore the history they reveal.
Postcards
We are also delighted to announce that the Library’s collection of Jersey postcards has been greatly enhanced by the donation of more than 300 postcards dating from the early twentieth century.
This fascinating collection provides a vivid glimpse into life in Jersey at the time, capturing its streets, buildings, events, fashions and everyday scenes. The postcard collection has now been fully catalogued and is available for viewing.
To arrange a visit, please contact: library@societe.je
Annual Report
Further details about the Library’s work and activities during 2025 will be published in the forthcoming issue of the Bulletin as part of our Annual Report.
Highlights from 2025
While we await the publication of our Annual Report in the next Bulletin, please find below links to some of the Library’s events and activities from 2025:
Liberation 80 Exhibition – Société Jersiaise
Nan Le Ruez, Jersey Occupation diary – Société Jersiaise
The Jersey Library Network – Société Jersiaise
The Lord Coutanche Library welcomes the Poindexter Descendants Association – Société Jersiaise
Welcome to Our New Library Assistant! – Société Jersiaise
Exploring Jersey’s History: 400 maps donated to the Lord Coutanche Library – Société Jersiaise
From Pen to Post: Letters & Correspondence in Jersey’s Past – Société Jersiaise
New Exhibition to Celebrate the History of Jersey’s Railways – Société Jersiaise
Step back in time: the Library receives 300 early 20th-century Jersey postcards – Société Jersiaise
Valérie Noël, Librarian
