Chippewa Valley Museum Re-accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM)
This week, the American Association of Museums (AAM) announced that the Chippewa Valley Museum, open all year in Eau Claire’s Carson Park, has been re-accredited for the next ten years. This is big news in the museum world.
“AAM accreditation is indicative of overall excellence, in everything a museum does,” said AAM president Ford W. Bell. “It has been said that museums are the repositories of civilization; as an accredited institution, the Chippewa Valley Museum is one of the world’s best in this pursuit, and stands as a pillar of the community and a monument to the region’s history and culture.”
Less than one-fourth of all history museums in the U.S. are accredited. The Chippewa Valley Museum is one of only 18 accredited museums in Wisconsin, and one of five history museums (that is, museums that list history as their primary or secondary mission). The other four are the Milwaukee Public Museum, the Oshkosh Public Museum, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.
AAM Accreditation is a widely recognized seal of approval that brings national recognition to museums, regardless of their size or location. Since the first museums were accredited in 1971, the AAM Accreditation Program has recognized museums’ commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement.
“The museum uses the Accreditation process to make sure we’re in touch with the larger world of museum practice at all times,” says Chippewa Valley Museum director Susan McLeod. “Also, when we’re presenting the Chippewa Valley Museum in that larger world — for example, applying for a federal grant — we refer to our own accredited status to help others have confidence in us. Just in case the Chippewa Valley Museum isn’t a household word everywhere — yet.”
“It was a challenging process,” said Chippewa Valley Museum curator Carrie Ronnander, who headed the re-accreditation process for the museum. “Yet it was rewarding, too. It really forced us to examine and be accountable for everything we do.”
To be accredited, a museum must first spend a year in a self-study, and gather, or update, or create documents, statements, or samples in 36 different categories — everything from a code of ethics, to audited financial statements, to emergency/disaster plans, to collections of visual images that illustrate the scope of the museum’s collections.
“It helped us to evaluate our practices against best practices in the museum field,” said Ronnander, “and showed us where we need to improve. Happily, the self-study revealed many areas of strength as well, particularly in the areas of exhibits, educational programs, collections, and facilities management.”
After the self-study, a team of two museum professionals (peer reviewers) visits the museum in person. These reviewers are drawn from a roster of several hundred museum professionals who have direct experience with the accreditation process and are conversant in standards and best practices.
During the visit, the reviewers verify the accuracy of the self-study’s contents and evaluate the museum against field-wide and accreditation standards by observing the museum in action, asking probing questions, seeking clarification of facts, and gathering new information. They write a report based on their observations, and submit it to a nine-member national Accreditation Commission.
Finally, this Accreditation Commission meets to determine the worthiness of the museum’s application. Current Accreditation Commissioners include Bonnie Styles, Director of the Illinois State Museum; Stuart Ashman, Secretary of Cultural Affairs for the State of New Mexico; William Eiland, Director of the Georgia Museum of Art; Carol Enseki, an independent museum and education consultant based in Brooklyn, New York; Andrew Masich, President and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center; Patricia Murphy, Executive Director of the Oberlin Heritage Center; Terrie Rouse of the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington, DC; Mary Sue Sweeney Price, Director of the Newark Museum; and, James A. Welu, Director of the Worcester Museum of Art.
Ronnander was pleased with the outcome, of course, but also with the process. “As a result of the process, we’ve become a stronger, healthier organization.”
Chippewa Valley Museum – PO Box 1204 – Eau Claire WI 54702 – (715) 834-7871 – info@cvmuseum.com
www.cvmuseum.com
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