An incredible group of library volunteers received the recognition they deserve at the Cornwall Heritage Awards 2026, when our ‘library legends’ – Jim, Janice, Judy, Jo, Jackie, Paul & Colin – received the Heritage Heroes Award in recognition of their invaluable efforts to sustain The Courtney Library.

The Courtney Library and Archive is the Royal Institution of Cornwall’s remarkable collection of manuscripts, books and archival materials. It is widely recognised as one of the most important centres for the study of Cornish history anywhere in the world. Within its shelves lie centuries of Cornwall’s heritage: rare manuscripts, historic archives and irreplaceable collections that continue to inform scholars today.

Following the retirement of our librarian after an extraordinary 54 years of service, the library faced the most precarious moments in its history. At the time, the museum’s small staff team were fully committed to delivering major new gallery spaces. The library suddenly required thousands of hours of care simply to keep functioning. Backlogs had built up, fragile material needed attention, and whole areas of the collection required systematic work.

At that moment, when the library’s future felt uncertain, a remarkable group of volunteers quietly stepped forward. Entirely self-motivated, they did not simply help, they took responsibility. Together they formed a team that kept the library alive while beginning the enormous task of restoring order, care and access. They organise themselves, support each other, and bring dedication, expertise and patience to work that is painstaking and often invisible.

Jim has taken on the enormous task of cleaning the library’s collection entirely on his own. For two years, he has worked methodically through the shelves with brushes and microfibre cloths, carefully protecting each book.

Janice has spent countless hours cataloguing a year’s backlog and is now rationalising the collection, ensuring it is organised for the future.

Judy tackles uncatalogued materials and identifies what should formally enter the collection. Her specialist palaeography skills allow her to decipher texts that might otherwise remain unreadable.

Jo is creating a comprehensive archive inventory, gradually revealing the extraordinary range of material held.

Colin and Paul check and rewrap some of the library’s most precious archives, preserving them for future generations, and are frequently called upon to translate Latin texts.

Jackie has devoted many hours to cataloguing and recording the hugely significant Charles Thomas Archive.

Together, they sustain the library’s daily life, supervise researchers, answer enquiries, and lay the foundations for its renewal. They also take time to share their skills with young people on work placements, inspiring a new generation and ensuring the passion for Cornwall’s history continues.

Perhaps most remarkably, they have done this as a community. Their laughter often carries from the library to the staffroom, a reminder that even the most demanding work can be sustained by friendship and shared purpose.

When the Courtney Library stood at one of its most vulnerable moments, this group quietly refused to let it fail. Faced with years of accumulated work and fragile collections needing urgent care, they stepped in with generosity, skill, and determination. Shelf by shelf, document by document, they have restored and safeguarded one of Cornwall’s most important historical resources. Through their dedication, the Courtney Library has not only survived a difficult chapter, it has been given the chance to flourish again.