This document provides guidance on conducting a significance assessment for a community heritage grant program. It outlines steps for preparation, choosing an assessor with relevant expertise, using assessment criteria to evaluate significance at the local, state, national and international levels. The assessment report should follow a template, justify findings of significance through comparative analysis, and include a clear significance statement. Outcomes of assessments allow organizations to strategically manage collections.

1. COMMUNITY HERITAGE GRANT
PROGRAM
SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENT
TANIA CLEARY

2. DO’S
• PREPARATION
• ASSESSOR
• ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
• REPORT
• SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
• OUTCOMES
• DON’TS

3. PREPARATION
• DEFINE THE PURPOSE OF THE ASSESSMENT
• UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS AND CRITERIA
• IDENTIFY & ISOLATE THE MATERIAL
• GATHER DOCUMENTATION
• CONTACT PEOPLE TO ASSIST
• PREPARE WORKSPACE
• CHOOSE SUITABLE ASSESSOR

4. ASSESSOR
SEEK EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS INCLUDE:
•MUSEUMS AUSTRALIA
•AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF PROFESSIONAL
HISTORIANS
•AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF ARCHIVISTS
•AUSTRALIAN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION
ASSOCIATION
•COMMUNITY HERITAGE GRANT COORDINATOR

5. PRIMARY AND COMPARATIVE
CRITERIA
SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENT REPORTS
SOMETIMES DEMONSTRATE INADEQUATE
UNDERSTANDING AND USE OF THE
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
THE SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENT MUST INCLUDE
DISCUSSION OF BOTH THE PRIMARY AND
COMPARATIVE CRITERIA

6. THE SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENT
REPORT
FOLLOW THE CHG REPORT TEMPLATE:
http://www.nla.gov.au/chg/significance-assessments
THE RESULTS OF THE SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENT
SHOULD BE VALID AND RELIABLE
THE REPORT WILL BE SCRUTINISED FOR PROCESS
LOGIC AND RIGOUR

7. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
THE SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT SHOULD CLEARLY IDENTIFY WHY THE
COLLECTION IS SIGNIFICANT. THE BASIS OF ANY STATEMENT IS
COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT
POOR
THE COLLECTION HAS LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL AND PERHAPS
INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
BETTER
THE COLLECTION HAS LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE BECAUSE:
IT CONTAINS RARE AND UNIQUE MATERIAL OF HIGH RESEARCH VALUE, IT
PROVIDES MATERIAL EVIDENCE OF THE COMMUNITY, IT DOCUMENTS THE
HISTORY OF THE ORGANISATION

8. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
BETTER STILL
THE WHOLE COLLECTION IS HISTORICALLY
SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT RECORDS THE
CONTRIBUTION MADE BY X TO Y. THE COLLECTION
COMPRISES RARE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
SOURCE MATERIALS THAT ARE CULTURALLY,
SOCIALLY AND SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT TO THE
COMMUNITY. NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT
MATERIALS DOCUMENT THE DEVELOPMENT
OF/THE IMPORTANCE OF / THE ROLE OF …

9. OUTCOMES
SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENTS ENABLE ORGANISATIONS
TO:
•CONSIDER THE COLLECTION IN NEW WAYS
•REAPPRAISE THE COLLECTION’S POTENTIAL
•THINK LONG TERM
•THINK STRATEGICALLY
•REDIRECT RESOURCES INTO MORE EFFICIENT AND
EFFECTIVE COLLECTION MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

10. DONT’S
• DON’T EMPLOY A FRIEND, ASSOCIATE OR
COLLEAGUE AS THE ASSESSOR
• DON’T ACCEPT GENERALISED OR MAYBE
STATEMENTS ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE COLLECTION
• DON’T UNCONDITIONALLY ACCEPT A REPORT
• DON’T IGNORE THE RECOMMENDATIONS