Significance 2.0: a guide to assessing the significance of collections
Roslyn Russell, Kylie Winkworth
© Commonwealth of Australia, 2010
ISBN 97 80977544363 (pbk)
Foreword
The way Australians think and live is captured in our collections.
These collections reflect Australians' lives in myriad areas at different times in our development—they provide insights into our unique national spirit and values, and contribute to our ability to solve new problems in distinctively Australian ways.
Just as Australians are spread across a vast land, so our collections are distributed across the nation. Understandably, many different ways have been created to identify and care for our collections, in response to their type, location, or available resources. Whether located in the country or the city, significant collections occur throughout Australia—often in surprising places.
Significance 2.0: a guide to assessing the significance of collections builds on the solid foundation laid by the first edition of Significance (2001) in defining an adaptable method for determining significance across all collections in Australia. Those who have been guided by this 'significance method' since 2001 report that this has translated into better decision-making about their collections in areas like preservation, physical and digital access, and funding support.
The impact of significance to date and new applications of the method will resonate when more, in-depth case studies are tailored for the evolving online environment—along with e-learning modules and technical studies. These exciting developments will be achieved with partners in coming years and will make significance live through this website.
Note from the Department, September 2010: At the time of the Collections Council of Australia’s closure in April 2010, the supplementary resources developed to complement Significance 2.0 remained limited to those available on the resources page.
The Collections Council exists to support all of Australia's collections. We thank the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, for funding this second edition of Significance. We also thank the Arts Ministers in each state and territory of Australia and the Federal Arts Minister (via the Cultural Ministers Council), for supporting the work of the Collections Council.
I encourage you to explore Significance 2.0, to adapt the significance method to your particular situation, and to contribute to significance online. As we strive for more sustainable collections let us also realise the potential that collections hold for further innovative thinking across Australia.
Noel Turnbull
Chair
Collections Council of Australia Ltd
