“It was great to have Susan’s expert eye look over the management of the collection. She left no stone unturned and raised some priority recommendations to bring the management of our collection in line with industry best practice. Expected outcomes were achieved in a collaborative way … She works with empathy and understanding seeking information without first forming judgement.”

2020 Preservation Needs Assessment for Glenelg Shire Council

“I want to commend you for a job well done on the Oral History Project, marking the 40th anniversary of the High Court building opening. You negotiated a complex and profound topic with care and delivered an intriguing snapshot of Australian history.”

Simon Kringas, architect, academic and nephew of the High Court building’s architect Christopher Kringas High Court of Australia oral history podcasts

“The Town Hall Gallery has engaged History At Work for two projects in recent years. The first was a Significance Assessment of the Town Hall Gallery Collection… History At Work thoroughly researched our Collection… the report was comprehensive and … we were successful in applying for another Community Heritage Grant to continue our conservation and preservation plans. The Town Hall Gallery also worked with History At Work on the Mayoral Photo Project. This involved extensive research on past Mayors of Boroondara. Emma and her team created a project timeline and coordinated research into over 200 former mayors, writing short biographies on each … as well as an overall piece of writing on the civic history of Mayors in Boroondara. History At Work delivered quality work on time, and came up with creative solutions to solve problems. We would be happy to work with them again.”

Town Hall Gallery, City of Boroondara [Collection Significance Assessment; Boroondara Mayoral Project]

“At Riverlee, we are passionate about history and always strive to honour the heritage of our sites for future generations. We partnered with History at Work to help us preserve and share the stories of the past for our stakeholders and local community. Emma and the team have produced outstanding research and storytelling that has allowed us to develop placemaking themes, signage, place branding and a book while holding fast to the historical integrity of the place.”

Meg Patten, Riverlee [Jaques Richmond; Seafarers Melbourne]

“It is with great admiration that I write to thank-you for your significant contribution to our success in applying for funding for our ANZAC Centennial Exhibition Series and for helping us to understand the importance of our heritage collection which is a legacy that can now reach its potential in terms of support and community sharing. Your Significance Assessment has gone a long way in helping our organisation and our staff fully understand where we have come from and what we should hope to achieve in ensuring the long term preservation and conservation of our history. It is when we know where we have come from that we can truly move forward and achieve in the future”

2016 Significance Assessment Project for Monash Health Foundation

“Over the last 10 years, Emma and I have collaborated on various projects - both within the public and the private sectors. Most recently these have included the cultural heritage assessment of the Caulfield Repatriation Hospital (for Heritage Victoria) and the preparation of an oral history of the High Court of Australia (for the High Court). Emma is a highly experienced historian who has the rare ability to become immersed in the detail of her research without losing sight of the broader historical context or a project’s commercial purpose. She is a highly experienced and effective collaborator who always brings new critical insights to the table. Emma’s drive, creativity and commitment to delivering high quality work has played a key role in the successful delivery of each of the projects on which we’ve collaborated.”

Leo Martin, Line Of Sight Heritage

“I wish to convey the thanks of the Committee members for your careful assessment of the collection, and your comprehensive report. It is pleasing to see how much the collection contains representative examples of material that align with the many themes in the Framework of Historical themes for Victoria. It is also gratifying to read the Statement of Significance and know that our collection has both state level and national level significance. As you have noted in your recommendations, providing greater public access to our extensive and important collection is one of the next key steps in its development. We will use your report to continue to advance that agenda within the organisation. Thank you again for a job well done.”

2018 Cultural Heritage Significance Assessment, Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria Heritage Collection

“Emma Russell from HistoryAtWork undertook the assessment, and produced a valuable report which has validated the importance of the collection to management, patrons and other supporters, and has increased our lobbying power for resources. It has also improved knowledge of the collection for staff, and has helped clarify priorities for the next few years. We were fortunate to have in Emma Russell a consultant with a background in medical history, and a keen interest and commitment to the task.”

2011 Significance Assessment Project for the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

“Emma has provided an excellent report on the significance of the collection from a content point of view, as well as an understanding of the requirements for preservation and access. During the assessment process, staff discovered many important files, being official contracts for many of the collection's titles, which will be crucial for future public access. Other benefits include a greater understanding of the collection's value, which will assist in raising the profile and lobbying power of the organisation. The report clarifies and confirms the importance of seeking funding to formally catalogue, store and digitise aspects of the collection sooner rather than later, which this CHG grant has enabled.”

2014 Significance Assessment Project for the Open Channel Cooperative

“The relationship with assessor Emma Russell from HistoryAtWork was extremely good. Ms Russell spent considerable time in researching the small number of comparable image collections held by private individuals and government-funded collections and repositories....Volunteers who were directly involved with Ms Russell during the assessment process are now fully focussed on the concept of significance, and the training of others in the volunteer team will follow.”

2014 Significance Assessment Project for the Australian Railway Historical Society