Erik has already provided better answers than I can. One might simply look at the things a museum needs to do to become accredited and discuss whether these fit the needs of the museum where one works or volunteers. One need not "do the whole thing" in order to begin asking whether changes in policies and practices might help. The point is to continue improving the place one way or another.

--Malcolm

malcolmrcampbell@cs.com

Eric has hit the nail on the head. In accreditation, it is the process that is everything of value. I have served as a Peer Assessor for the Commission on Fire Accreditation International for many years. Even the departments that were not granted accredited status were winners. The self assessment process,not a hired consultant, makes each organization examine each of its strenghts and weaknesses. Each organization doing any well formated self assessment process such as CFAI or AARM sees where it is today in relation to where it wants to be. The process sets the path for improvements and growth.
The immediate needs in any museum are Time, People and Money. Accreditation is more than a sign on the wall. It shows the public and potential donors that the organization is operating at high professional levels. It shows donors that the money they donate will be used wisely in an organiozation that will reflect well upon the donor. It shows volunteers that the time they are dedicating is for a recognized organization that is contributing to the community it serves at the higest standards.
It is the process that will make any organization better in the eyes of the public and internally.
Ron

rgraner@aol.com

> The immediate needs in any museum are Time,
> People and Money. Accreditation is more than
> a sign on the wall. It shows the public and
> potential donors that the organization is
> operating at high professional levels. It
> shows donors that the money they donate will
> be used wisely in an organiozation that will
> reflect well upon the donor. It shows
> volunteers that the time they are dedicating
> is for a recognized organization that is
> contributing to the community it serves at
> the higest standards.
> It is the process that will make any
> organization better in the eyes of the
> public and internally.
> Ron

It would seem to me that accreditation, or at least the effort to seek it, would be one of those things that separates (in the public and donor and granting agency eye) the serious railroad museums from the "Big Boys Playing with Trains" type of organizations. There are a number of each kind out there, IMO.

>>It shows the public and potential donors that the organization is operating at high professional levels. It shows donors that the money they donate will be used wisely in an organiozation that will reflect well upon the donor. It shows volunteers that the time they are dedicating is for a recognized organization that is contributing to the community it serves at
the higest standards. It is the process that will make any organization better in the eyes of the
public and internally.<<

Great points, Ron. Needless to say, the process will stir things up. I think that's a good thing. "Why are we doing what we're doing?" "How can we improve what we're doing?" Answering these questions clarifies a lot of things and opens up new opportunities for growth, funding and increase heritage tourism traffic.

--Malcolm



malcolmrcampbell@cs.com

> After being accredited a museum must pay an
> annual fee that pays for the accreditation
> review... If I
> recall correctly this is a $1000 per year
> fee; the AAM says that the fee does not
> cover all of the costs of review and
> granting accreditation.

I checked with my colleagues today: the fee is only $200 per year for AAM member institutions, and $500 per year for non-members.


eledbetter@rypn.org

> Accreditation can be a long and expensive
> process as a museum organization brings it
> self into compliance with the accepted
> values. Minnesota Historical Society - even
> through its Executive Director served a term
> as President of AAM - declined to divert
> monies into accreditation.

The Minnesota History Center of the Minnesota Historical Society actually is currently an AAM Accredited museum.

eledbetter@rypn.org

folks,

I have been out of town and away from my computer.
I work for one of the National Parks that is really a museum and one of only ten sites in the NPS system that is AAAM accredited.

This is only possible for a museum which has a paid staff, professionally trained and a a facility equipped to care for a collection of whatever artifacts.

It says that we are equipped to do the highest level of museum and preservation work.

For most railroad/railway museums the ARM approach seems to be the way to go. I guess the AAM appproach is best for the big institutions in the history and art world.



ted_miles@nps.gov

> This is only possible for a museum which has
> a paid staff, professionally trained and a a
> facility equipped to care for a collection
> of whatever artifacts.

> For most railroad/railway museums the ARM
> approach seems to be the way to go. I guess
> the AAM appproach is best for the big
> institutions in the history and art world.

Not sure I agree with you there, Ted. It is certainly easier for the kind of organizations you describe, but the Accreditation Committee is sensitive to the differeing situtions of differing types of institutions. The recent accrediation of the San Diego Model Railroad Museum shows that it is indeed possible for a museum with non-traditional collections and perdominently volunteer staff to become accredited.


eledbetter@rypn.org

I have to agree with Erik here. Although we are not fully accredited yet, we have completed Map II and are well on our way. Just the fact that we have done that has made a world of difference in getting things like grants, special exhibits, etc. For instance, right now the Smithsonian will barely loan anything, or even take a wink at you for that matter, without it from what I here.

TJ
> Not sure I agree with you there, Ted. It is
> certainly easier for the kind of
> organizations you describe, but the
> Accreditation Committee is sensitive to the
> differeing situtions of differing types of
> institutions. The recent accrediation of the
> San Diego Model Railroad Museum shows that
> it is indeed possible for a museum with
> non-traditional collections and
> perdominently volunteer staff to become
> accredited.


AAM Deaccession site
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

> The Minnesota History Center of the
> Minnesota Historical Society actually is
> currently an AAM Accredited museum.

My time frame was about 1995. I guess changes had happened since then.

The whole museum and its presentation was well done and enjoyable. While the History Center in St. Paul was not part of the conference agenda I was in town a day early and walked the eight blocks (or so) from the hotel to the museum. They had modified first-person interpreters at several locations in the museum. I was told that every staff member of the museum was required to spend time in the galleries as a host/interpreter; they could not hole up in their office and not know what the public was doing. One neat thing is that to show the connections of railroads to grain to Minnesota, the museum had a complete box car within one of its galleries (part of the exhibit was a video showing how the car was placed in the museum).

Brian Norden