Community Heritage Grants: Recruiting an appropriate assessor
The Community Heritage Grants program supports hundreds of heritage collections by providing community organisations with funding to employ practitioners to:
- Explain the meaning and value of their collections (a significance assessment)
- Outline the condition of their collections and create a plan to manage it (a preservation needs assessment)
There is further information on significance and the assessment process within the following guide: Significance 2.0 – A Guide to Assessing the Significance of Cultural Heritage Objects and Collections.
Before recruiting an assessor, organisations should consider whether they are ready to undertake an effective, productive significance assessment. Use our handy questionnaire to get a sense of what's needed before applying.
Punu objects, courtesy of Maruku Arts (2020 Community Heritage Grant recipient). Find out more about Maruku Arts
Punu objects, courtesy of Maruku Arts (2020 Community Heritage Grant recipient). Find out more about Maruku Arts
Recruiting an appropriate assessor or training provider
Once your organisation is ready for a significance assessment, you will need to recruit an appropriate consultant to undertake the assessment.
Depending on the type of collection you have, this may be a:
- historian
- archivist
- museum curator
- heritage librarian
- or any similar expert with experience preparing significance assessments
They will produce a written report that provides a statement of significance and a list of recommendations for future collection management.
Organisations applying for training projects will also need to identify an appropriate provider.
For further information, please read the CHG Guidelines.
More information on recruiting significance assessors or training providers
Completed project summaries from previous years provide details of consultants who have undertaken significance assessments and training for recent CHG recipients. Contact the individual project contacts for advice on how they managed these consultancies.
The Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) is a useful starting point for your search. You may also wish to explore the following resources to find an appropriate assessor.
- Museums & Galleries NSW provides information about consultants to its members
- History Trust of South Australia (contact the Community History Unit at community@history.sa.gov.au)
- AMaGA Victoria provides information about consultants to its members
- Heritage Specialist Directory by the Heritage Council, Government of Western Australia
- AMaGA WA (contact CollectionsWA@amaga.org.au, wabranch@amaga.org.au)
Preservation needs assessors
A preservation needs assessment should be undertaken by a qualified conservator. When selecting a conservator:
- Request a copy of their resume
- Ask for references from previous clients
- Ask for examples of previous work
- Check that they have appropriate insurance
The following resources will assist you to find a conservator:
Learn more
5 images, clockwise from top left: Mrs Fisher and Mrs Vaughan with a Red Cross float entered in the ‘Back to Brim’ parade, Easter 1983, image courtesy of the Australian Red Cross Society (Heritage Archives); Port Phillip Farmers Society Medallion awarded for Ploughing, 1859, image courtesy of Melbourne Royal; C.A. Nobelius Catalogue of Fruit Trees 1910, image courtesy of Emerald and District Museum; Members of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club in training with a surf reel, 1939, image courtesy of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club; Walka Board Minyma Kutjara copyright Francine Kulitja 2020 (from the Maruku Arts Collection).
Image courtesy of Miss Porter's House - National Trust (NSW), a 2020 & 2022 Community Heritage Grants recipient
Spines of rare books from the Mrs Aeneas Gunn Memorial Library, courtesy of Monbulk RSL (2020 Community Heritage Grant recipient). Find out more about Monbulk RSL.