-
Should There Be a Core Document for Education?: An Update on the EdCom Task Force
As a prerequisite to accreditation, museums must submit five Core Documents for verification, a set of plans and policies considered fundamental to professional museum operations, values, and practices. As of now, this includes documents … -
How Can We Make Volunteer Programs More Inclusive and Accessible?
Last year, AAM released a popular toolkit on structuring, developing, and supporting volunteer programs—whether starting from scratch or reimagining an existing program. Since the release of Designing a Museum Volunteer Program, many … -
Curiosity: A Primer
In the museum field, we sometimes talk about how we are in the “curiosity business.” Yet even still, it often feels that our field perceives nurturing curiosity as “nice” work, rather than “necessary” … -
Don’t Be Surprised, Be an Ally: Better Security Planning for Virtual Programs
It was my ninth virtual program of the COVID era that prompted this essay. The first eight had gone relatively well. After some low numbers and awkward silences early on, later events exceeded attendance and engagement expectations. The … -
Essential Evaluators: Separation of Powers
Essential Evaluators seeks to gather evaluators in a common space to dialogue, reflect, and support each other in a world upended by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter protest movement. This is a time of uncertain and unknown expectations … -
Earning Income from Education Programs during COVID-19
In this series of posts, EdCom’s Trends Committee is taking a deeper look at emerging phenomena identified in the 2020 edition of TrendsWatch from the Center for the Future of Museums. In this post, they turn their attention to the … -
The Call of the Moment: Marjorie Schwarzer on the New Edition of Riches, Rivals, and Radicals
Riches, Rivals, and Radicals: A History of Museums in America has been read by students, professionals, and museum lovers alike since its first publication in 2006; its public television adaptation has nearly half a million views on … -
Building True, Lasting Collaborations with Source Communities
It’s well-documented by this point: museums are changing. No longer solely repositories of information and keepers of culturally important artifacts, museums today are taking on new roles and shaping revised definitions of … -
“Access for All” Begins with Community Listening at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Cassandra Clement was always on the lookout. A self-described “stalker” of quiet places to sit at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (CZBG), she always took note of benches tucked away in more secluded areas, or any nook or cove … -
Navigating a Job Search in the COVID-19 Market
The museum field, and cultural institutions in general, have undoubtedly been hit hard by COVID-19. As a result, many museum professionals are finding themselves job searching and considering career transitions at a time with seemingly …
Alliance Blog
The Alliance blog provides the museum community with a place to share stories and insights, in their own voice, reaching thousands of people across the global museum field.
Explore all Publications from the Alliance.
Explore the AAM Resource Library by topic, and further filter by subtopic or resource types to find what matters most to you!
Latest Stories from AAM
Transit Insurance in Practice for Traveling & Co‑Organized Exhibitions
Category:
On-Demand Programs
Transcript Cecelia Walls: Can I give everyone just a few minutes to get into the room …
AAM Supports Congressional Action to Protect the Smithsonian’s Independence
Category:
Press Release
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) endorses The Smithsonian Integrity and …
Demographics of US Museum-Goers: 2026 Update
Category:
Alliance Blog
This visual Data Story is based on findings from the 2026 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, …