Golden Nuggets: Recent Stories Mined from Accreditation Reviews
Accreditation Peer Reviewers report back to the Commission all sorts of exciting practices they observe while doing a museum site visit—practices that can range from just being "cool," to being unexpected for the museum's circumstances, to being a creative solution to a problem, to fulfilling a community need. The Accreditation Commission likes to share some of these stories with the field to inspire others and highlight accredited museums as leaders and resources. Here are some more examples collected during the most recent March Accreditation Commission meeting:
- The Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, N.Y., has started making joint object purchases with other institutions like the Tate Britain in London in order to bring an increased scope and caliber of works of art to the Buffalo region that the museum might not otherwise have afforded.
- The Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Ohio buys biologically important tracts of land in northeastern Ohio to preserve for future generations. The museum's Natural Areas program now includes 5000 acres of land.
- The DeCordova Sculpture Park + Museum in Lincoln, Mass., had a very inclusive process for developing its most recent strategic plan. Most notable was a "town hall" meeting attended by nearly 200 persons representing past, present and future constituencies where the museum invited the entire town to comment on the museum's goals. Other community/constituent stakeholder meetings were held at the homes of Trustees and in public forums.
- The Holocaust Museum Houston took the recommendations from a 2004 MAP to reassess and align its mission with the realities of its communities and formulate a path to better engage audiences. As a result, the new "Stop Hate, Starting Here" tag line crystallizes the motivation of the museum to reflect on atrocities of the Holocaust, but also to acknowledge the suffering of others by examining other contemporary genocide and discrimination stories.
- The small, municipally run Pacific Grove Museum in California, was recognized for two examples of collaborative and creative solutions to addressing museum staffing needs: it partnered with its neighbor the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which helps the museum provide visitor services; and the museum's Scientist Friends group helps provide content where there is a gap in curatorial expertise.
These are just a few of the stories that were collected. Remember, as you fill out your Advisory Comment Form, to note anything about the museum you feel is particularly noteworthy and deserving of special recognition using one or more of the following criteria:
- Really cool & interesting
- Something completely new; never heard of before
- Unique or unexpected for the museum's circumstances
- Took the individual museum to a new level
- Creative solution to a problem
- Took a risk
- Filled a community need
- New business model
- Advanced the field/served as a national model
- Involved organizations outside the museum field in a new/meaningful way
The Accreditation Self-Study Review Checklist: A Guide to How and Why to Use It
Before each site visit, the Accreditation Program staff thoroughly reviews a museum's Self-Study Questionnaire and supporting documents, and identifies additional information the museum needs to provide and areas where you need to devote particular attention as part of your peer review assignment. The results of this assessment are presented in a document called the Self-Study Review Checklist.
Effective use of the Checklist will help make your review of the Self-Study more efficient, shape your site visit and ensure your report meets the Accreditation Commission's decision-making needs (greatly endearing you to us).
For each peer review assignment:
- Access the Checklist. It is always located in a plastic sleeve at the front of the first binder of the museum's supporting documents.
- Read the Checklist. The critical issues for the Visiting Committee are identified by the code "VC"; they are usually associated with follow-up on issues that are in-process and/or matters that can really only be adequately explored in person, on site.
- On site, explore the issues through observation and discussion with the museum staff.
- In your report, make a comment on each "VC" issue in the Checklist. If you find the current situation acceptable/resolved, please say so in your report so we are not left wondering whether it is problem or not, and thinking you failed to look into it.
We can't stress enough how important this last step is. Omitting these comments causes us difficulty and frustration in our deliberations and decision-making because we have incomplete information. Remember, you are our eyes and ears on the ground!
For more report writing tips, download our report writing guide.
