Maintaining Accreditation and Being Ready for the Next Review

Accredited museums are looked up to as leaders in the field and we encourage you to proactively fulfill this responsibility by serving as a mentor and resource for other museums. Support and encourage museums working towards meeting standards, improving practices or seeking accreditation by speaking at professional meetings.  Become an Alliance peer reviewer and share your expertise in other ways.

Some ways to stay engaged and be ready for your next review:

Stay Plugged In

Ensure your staff:

• are active in local, state, regional and national museum and other professional associations
• attend professional education seminars, courses or workshops
• serve as peer reviewers for the Accreditation or Museum Assessment programs
• subscribe to professional journals and museum list-serves

Keep Those Policies Up-to-Date

Reviewing museum policies and procedures on a regular schedule is simply good business practice. Keep your five core documents up-to-date and in compliance with field-wide standards.

Talk to Us

While the program stays in touch with regular yearly communications, we do not pro-actively examine the operations of the museum during the time between reviews. Accredited museums are expected to provide the program staff with up-to-date contact information, particularly notifications regarding director transitions. As an accredited museum, it is also your responsibility to notify program staff about major changes in operations.

Do MAP

Many museums use the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) to evaluate their operations in the years between accreditation reviews. MAP is a consultative program based on the same standards and best practices as Accreditation. It uses a similar method of self-study and peer review, which culminates in a report by peer reviewers (called Surveyors) that gives advice and recommendations to the museum.