Significance

7. Assessment against selection criteria

Definitions

'Significance' means the historic, aesthetic, scientific and social values that an object or collection has for past, present and future generations. Significance refers not just to the physical fabric or appearance of an object [or item or collection of documentary heritage]. Rather, it incorporates all the elements that contribute to an object's meaning, including its context, history, uses and its social and spiritual values... Significance is not fixed - it can increase or diminish over time' (Russell, Winkworth & Young 2001).

'Significance assessment is the process of studying and understanding the meanings and values of objects and collections' (ibid).

Introduction

Each register, international, regional or national, is based on criteria for assessing the significance of documentary heritage, and assessing whether its influence was global, regional or national. The following criteria are adapted from the terms of the International Register.

There can be no absolute measure of cultural significance. Accordingly, there is no fixed point at which documentary heritage qualifies for inclusion in the Australian Register. Selection for inclusion in the Australian Register will therefore result from assessing the heritage item on its own merits against the selection criteria, against the general tenor of the General Guidelines, and in the context of other items already either included or rejected.

The Australian Memory of the World Committee must be satisfied that the nominated item or items is (or was) of outstanding Australian significance. That is, there must be demonstrated evidence of historic, aesthetic, spiritual or community significance; not necessarily all of these, but at least one of them.

The first step in determining significance is to compile all available information about the documentary heritage item or collection you wish to nominate. This includes all information relating to its provenance and the historical background to its creation. You should also investigate comparative examples to determine if your item or collection is rare or unique, is strongly representative of a particular material form or relates to a strong historical theme. (The Australian Heritage Commission’s Australian Historic Themes can give guidance on this. See http://www.ahc.gov.au/publications/generalpubs/framework/index.html

Make sure you examine the item or collection thoroughly and identity any threats to its condition or integrity.

Once you have compiled this information you are ready to determine the item or collection's significance.

Primary criteria

There must be demonstrated evidence of historic, aesthetic, community or spiritual significance – not necessarily all of these, but at least one of them.

  • Historic significance: An item or collection of documentary heritage may be historically significant for its association with people, events, places and themes. It may relate to famous individuals, groups or social movements, or to significant social and cultural change. Historic significance is the most common significance for documentary heritage collections. Examples: Endeavour Journal of Captain James Cook; Archives of the Australian Agricultural Company (1824-1995); Displaced Persons Migrant Selection Documents 1947-1D953; the Cinesound-Movietone Australian Newsreel Collection 1929-1975; Australian Children’s Folklore Collection.
  • Aesthetic significance: An item or collection of documentary heritage may have outstanding aesthetic, stylistic or linguistic significance. It can also be a typical or key exemplar of a type of presentation, custom or medium, or of a former or disappearing carrier or format. An item or collection of documentary heritage may be aesthetically significant for its beauty, craftsmanship, style, technical excellence, demonstration of skill and quality of design and execution. Example: The Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin Design Drawings of the City of Canberra.
  • Community or spiritual significance: Items or collections of documentary heritage may be held in high esteem by a particular community. This is shown when a community demonstrates strong affection for an object or collection for the way it contributes to the community’s identity and social cohesion. If the community that values the documentary heritage has ceased to exist, it becomes historical significance. Spiritual significance is a specific application of this criterion to items and collections of documentary heritage that are valued by a particular community, and believed by them to possess spiritual power. An example of this is the secret/sacred material of Indigenous Australians. Example: Mabo Case Papers

Comparative criteria

The Memory of the World Registers at both the national and international levels require a rigorous assessment of the comparative values of documentary heritage. All heritage is significant at one level or another for particular communities and individuals. For documentary heritage to be included on prestigious registers such as those for Memory of the World, it must be shown to be of clear national or international significance. Check the relevant Register to see what has already been inscribed. This will provide clear benchmarks against which to measure the significance of your collection.

In determining significance, ask the following questions about the documentary heritage you wish to nominate to the Register:

  • What evidence is there that the documentary heritage is unique?
  • What evidence is there that the documentary heritage is irreplaceable, something whose disappearance or deterioration would constitute a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of humankind in Australia?
  • What evidence is there that the documentary heritage has created great impact over a span of time and/or within a particular cultural area of Australia?
  • What evidence is there that the documentary heritage has had great influence – whether positive or negative – on the course of Australian history?
  • What evidence is there that the documentary heritage is representative of a type, but has no direct equal?
  • Demonstrate whether the item or collection is rare or representative, and whether its degree of integrity (completeness, sound or original condition) contribute to its significance.
  • Compare it with others of its kind to show why it is of Australian Memory of the World significance.

Specific problems

Although the Sub-Committee has received nominations of documentary heritage items and collections where the significance has been amply demonstrated and justified, there have been others that did not convince for a number of reasons. These include:

  • Insufficient information given about the significance of the collection under the terms set out in the Guidelines;
  • Inadequate statement of significance that fails to describe all the meanings and values of the documentary heritage, or to make connections to a wider historical context;
  • Failure to nominate a significantly representative collection. In many cases items of documentary heritage which comprise parts of a larger whole can be found in a number of separate collections. To achieve the appropriate level of representativeness, these items should be aggregated as one entry.
  • Nomination of too large or ill-defined a collection.

This manual has been produced to address some of the problems identified by the Committee and the 2005 workshops, and to present a revised set of criteria for those preparing nominations to the Australian Memory of the World Register. It is intended to be a developing document, and one which responds to the concerns and needs of the documentary heritage community.

Conclusion

There can be no absolute measure of cultural significance. Accordingly, there is no fixed point at which documentary heritage qualifies for inclusion in the Australian Register. Selection for inclusion in the Australian Register will therefore result from assessing the heritage item on its own merits against the specific selection criteria, other requirements in the Memory of the World General Guidelines, and in the context of other items already included on the Register.

Submission Manual