Washington, DC, 4/26/2007 -

The American Association of Museums announced today that seven museums have been awarded accreditation, the highest national recognition a museum can achieve. Accreditation recognizes high standards in individual museums and ensures that museums continue to provide the best possible service to the public. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for more than 35 years, AAM’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. 

 

The characteristics of accredited museums describe outcomes that all museums can and should strive for, and can achieve in ways appropriate to their resources. To best serve their communities, it is essential that museums be committed to institutional improvement, maintaining the highest standards in collections stewardship, governance, institutional planning, and education and interpretation. AAM Accreditation signifies excellence to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.

 

The following museum joined the distinguished list of accredited institutions:

 

• Logan Museum of Anthropology, Beloit, Wisc.

 

All accredited museums undergo a subsequent review within ten years of their last accreditation award. The following museums were awarded subsequent accreditation:

 

·         Heritage Museums and Gardens, Sandwich, Mass.

·         Museums of Oglebay Institute, Wheeling, W.Va.

·         National Heritage Museum, Lexington, Mass.

·         Wilton House Museum, Richmond, Va.

·         Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, Conn.

·         Stearns History Museum, Saint Cloud, Minn.

 

“AAM Accreditation demonstrates a public commitment to outstanding stewardship, education, governance, and transparency,” said Kim Igoe, AAM’s Interim President and CEO.  ”These seven museums join a distinguished list of institutions that lead their peers in providing excellent services and experiences, serving as a constant reminder to the public how much museums really matter in American life.”

 

Of the nation’s nearly 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited. To earn accreditation a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers.  The Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.  While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes as much as three years.

 

For more information about AAM and the Accreditation Program, including a complete list of accredited museums, please visit www.aam-us.org.

 

About AAM

The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

 

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