About 1200 peer reviewers support AAM’s Museum Assessment and Accreditation Programs. They review self assessment materials, conduct site visits, and write reports for museums in these two programs. Each reviewer contributes about 40-60 hours to each assignment in a completely volunteer capacity. Read more about the time commitment involved.
Reviewers are initially matched to museums based on museum type/discipline and size. Sometimes they are also matched to an institution based on their experience and expertise with a particular governance structure or particular type of institutional challenge.
Both the Museum Assessment and Accreditation programs require peer reviewers to be:
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well-informed about current standards and best practices in the field
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broadly knowledgeable about institutions similar to the ones they review
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objective, professional, thorough, and diplomatic while visiting the museums and preparing their reports
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scrupulous in maintaining confidentiality about the results of the review
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familiar with the museum’s self-study and supplementary documents
Beyond these basic similarities there are significant differences in roles and responsibilities for peer reviewers—in line with the different objectives of MAP versus Accreditation:
MAP Peer Reviewers:
- Called Surveyors
- Usually only one per visit
- Provide the museum with information about how its operations measure up to standards and best practices in the field
- Recommend ways the museum might address its current challenges and provide resources that could help that effort.
- Share information about ways in which similar institutions operate.
- Act in a collegial, supportive, and helpful way for the museum
- Write a report solely for the museum’s benefit
Accreditation Peer Reviewers:
- Called Visiting Committee Members
- Usually a team of two for each site visit
- Act as the Accreditation Commission’s “eyes and ears” and assess operations against accreditation standards to aid its decision-making process
- Do not provide feedback or suggestions to the museum about how to improve operations
- Must be objective and observational
- Write the report primarily for the Accreditation Commission; secondarily for the museum
Find out more about what each type of reviewer does, the differences between the two, and which one might be the best fit for you.
Apply to be a Peer Reviewer
