Free Accreditation Resource for Small Museums

[StephGaub]

Copies of "Small Museums and Accreditation II: Profiles of Small Accredited Museums" - a free CD - are still available.

This resource provides a comprehensive picture of the accreditation process of nine small museums (including one college museum), all accredited within the past three to five years, with
annual operating expenses between $100,000 and $330,000. Even if your museum isn't small, take advantage of this unique resource to see actual completed accreditation questionnaires, site visit reports, and decision letters from a variety of types of museums. The CD will show you how museums with different collections, facilities, governance structures, and practices all meet accreditation standards.

On the CD you will find copies of each museum's accreditation Self-Study Questionnaire, Visiting Committee (site visit) report, Accreditation Commission decision letters, and strategic plans. The
directors of these museums also contribute tips and insights on the triumphs and challenges of the accreditation experience. A self-executing web based presentation on the CD walks you through the materials while explaining the basics of accreditation— including the standards and how they are applied as well as the steps in the accreditation process.

To request one or more copies of "Small Museums and Accreditation II", e-mail your name and mailing address to smallmus-accred@ aam-us.org or call the Accreditation Program staff at 202-218-7689. (The CD runs on a PC and requires Windows, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and an internet browser.)

This free CD was produced in 2006-2007 by the AAM Accreditation Program with support from AAM's Small Museum Administrator' s Standing Professional Committee. AAM thanks the following museums for generously granting AAM permission to share their accreditation documents in this resource: Arms Family Museum of Local History, Youngstown, Ohio; Carlyle House Historic Park, Alexandria, Virginia; Frontier Army Museum, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Historical Society of Frederick County, Frederick, Md.; Litchfield Historical Society Museum, Conn.; Oberlin Heritage Center, Ohio; Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, Collegeville, Penn.; Silver City Museum, N.M.; Western Museum of Mining and Industry, Colorado Springs, Colo.

For more information on AAM Museum Accreditation, standards, and list of accredited museums, visit www.aam-us.org/ accred.