Virtual Internships Are Here to Stay—and That’s a Good Thing

Amid the challenges of 2020, one of the most successful learning experiences for me was pivoting to a 100 percent remote internship program at the National Gallery of Art. When I began planning to make the transition last March, I saw …

How the National Air and Space Museum Took Volunteering Virtual

A mother and her spaceship-loving children, ages five and seven, arrive at the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center using their timed tickets. As they enter the museum, unsure where to turn first, a volunteer on a sixty-five-inch monitor behind the …

10 Best Practices of Accessible Museum Websites

This article explores ten high-impact areas you should consider to enhance your website’s accessibility and bring it into conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the set of rules and practices that aims to define …

Why I Abandoned the Traditional Museum Education Model

Personal stories are how we, at Nemours Estate, connect our visitors with the duPont family who once lived in this grand place. So I’d like to share my personal story of building a museum education program from the ground up, to illustrate …

How to Start an Accessibility Movement at Your Museum

Think back to a childhood trip to a museum, aquarium, or historic home. Chances are the first thing you heard was a directive: “Hands in pockets and do not touch anything.” Today, we still see similar interactions in museums …

The Keys to Sustainable Online Programming? Partnerships and Professional Development

Recently, I’ve been analyzing the efficacy of museum-developed digital programs over their thirty-year history, and I’ve noticed a common theme: Every study extols the benefits of such programs, including increased outreach and engagement …

“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 …

The UniDescription Project Breaks Down Common Barriers to Media Accessibility

National Park Service sites are generally grand and iconic American places for us to gather, commune with nature, tell important stories about our country’s past, and celebrate our togetherness. They are intended to be widely open to the …

Mind the Accessibility Gap

When we talk about equity, diversity, and inclusion in museums, we have a usual list of groups we mention: Black and Indigenous people, other people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, unhoused people, socioeconomically disadvantaged people, and …

Leveraging Smartphone Technology to Protect Museum Visitors

Everyone is eager for a return to normal, which includes access to museums and other cultural venues. While countless people likely have been inspired and sustained by virtual museum tours these past few months, there is something very …

Latest Stories from AAM

Now Available: On-Demand Sessions from AAM 2025

Category: Alliance Blog
Couldn’t make it to Los Angeles this spring for the AAM Annual Meeting & …

Year-round Advocacy

Category: On-Demand Programs
Effective advocacy is not a “one and done” activity.  It is a continuous process, rather …

AAM Announces Latest Accreditation Awards: 48 Museums Achieve This Distinction

Category: Press Release
For Immediate Release Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the …

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