AN Islander has received a prestigious award in record-keeping after devoting her career to the promotion and advancement of archive management.
Catherine Kirby, archivist to the superintendent registrar, was awarded a Distinguished Service Award at the annual Archives and Records Association Excellence Awards 2026.
Ms Kirby was presented the award at a ceremony in Glasgow designed to celebrate achievements in the record-keeping sector in the UK and Ireland.
The ARA Excellence Awards 2026 gave out awards for the Record-keeper of the Year, Record-keeping Service of the Year and New Professional of the Year, which were all voted on by the public.
Additionally, there were three Distinguished Service Awards, which were decided upon by the ARA Board in which Ms Kirby was one of the recipients.
Ms Kirby began started her working life with Jersey Archive, and later rose through the organisation. In collaboration with the head of archives as a senior archivist, she helped create and develop the award-winning institution that it has grown to be.
During this period, Jersey Archive moved from one room in Jersey Museum to a purpose-built large building, where Ms Kirby worked to promote the work of Jersey Archive through public talks and local media.
In 2010, Ms Kirby went on to establish a private business – Catherine The Archivist – to provide a service to Islanders and commercial businesses to manage their personal and commercial archives.
Ms Kirby has worked on some notable private and public collections in Jersey, including the personal records of Gerald Durrell, Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust Archive, the Alan Whicker Archive, Seymour Hotels of Jersey, Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive, Liberation Brewery and Hettich 1900.
Her nominator Claire Follain said: “In 2017 when I took up the post of superintendent registrar of Jersey, I inherited a 175-year archive of Jersey’s national civil registration records which had been stored in an unsuitable state.
“I contacted Catherine as the only person suitable and qualified for the task of assisting me to care for the records. It is impossible to set out the enormity of the task that Catherine took on, to ensure proper record keeping, records management and archive care.”
“In 2024, in recognition of Catherine’s profound and important contribution, I appointed Catherine as archivist to the superintendent registrar – the first time such a post has ever been in existence and a significant reflection of the priority given to the maintenance of our national records.”
“Catherine raises the profile of record management in Jersey on a regular basis. Her infectious enthusiasm for all things archives leads to regular invitations to speak about her work and promote the importance of record management and archives in Jersey.”
“She is well known and deeply respected within Jersey for her quiet dedication and passion for advocating the importance of maintaining archives and good record management.”
The ARA Excellence Awards are decided by the board, which scores nominations against set criteria, and are open to individuals at any stage of their career.
