Museum of Discovery Receives Highest National Recognition
Museum of Discovery Receives Highest National Recognition
Awarded Re-Accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums
Little Rock, Ark (August 13, 2018) – Museum of Discovery has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. Museum of Discovery was initially accredited in 1993. All museums must undergo a re-accreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.
AAM accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for more than 45 years, the Alliance’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable in order to provide the best possible service to the public.
“Receiving AAM accreditation validates the high quality of work the Museum of Discovery and its dedicated staff is doing every day,” says Kelley Bass, museum CEO. “Our staff is dedicated to excellence in all it does – from creating an outstanding experience for our guests to presenting top-level educational programs to ensuring our exhibits are fully operational and our facility is clean.
“A major part of the re-accreditation process was the creation of a new strategic plan that will guide the Museum of Discovery through 2022 and, we hope, serve as a pathway to an even brighter future. I want to thank museum board members, community volunteers and staff members who participated in the development of the new plan.”
Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, approximately 1,070 are currently accredited. Museum of Discovery is one of only eight museums accredited in Arkansas.
Accreditation is a very rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s 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.
“Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence,” said Laura L. Lott, Alliance president and CEO. “Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud.”
About Museum of Discovery
Founded in 1927, Museum of Discovery is the state’s oldest museum. Its mission is to ignite and fuel a passion for science, technology, engineering, arts and math through dynamic and interactive experiences.
About the American Alliance of Museums
The American Alliance 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. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.
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