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 Accreditation signifies excellence to
the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and
to the museum-going public. The Illinois State Museum has been
accredited since 1972. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation
review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.
Alliance 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 over 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.
“I want to thank and congratulate the dedicated staff at the
Illinois State Museum, the Illinois State Museum Board, and
supporters of the Museum for all of the efforts put forth as part of
the AAM’s reaccreditation process,” said Colleen Callahan, director
of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “We are all
committed to continuing and strengthening the Illinois State
Museum’s standing as a world-class museum approaching 150 years of
telling the Story of Illinois.”
Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, over 1,070 are currently
accredited. 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.
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“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.”
The Illinois State Museum inspires discovery and caring about Illinois' cultural
and natural resources and heritage. The Museum’s extensive collections and
research activities provide the foundation for exhibitions and public programs
that tell the story of the land, life, people, and art of Illinois. The Illinois
State Museum is headquartered in Springfield. ISM facilities are located in
Springfield, at the Dickson Mounds Museum near Lewistown, and at the Illinois
State Museum Lockport Gallery in Lockport. For more information on the ISM, go
online to www.illinoisstate
museum.org.
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.
[Robert Sill]
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