Accreditation Makes News in BDN

8/18/10 03:59 pm Updated: 8/18/10 09:21 pm
By Heather Steeves
BDN Staff

Bangor Daily News Photo by Gabor Degre

SEARSPORT, Maine — It took a lot of rearranging, rethinking and some upgrades, but for the third decade in a row, Penobscot Marine Museum received accreditation from the American Association of Museums — the highest recognition offered to museums.

About 4 percent of all museums in the nation receive this accreditation.

“It’s a big, big deal for us,” said the museum’s executive director, Niles Parker. “It felt grueling at the time. In the end, the process is worth it. It forces you to spend the time to improve the organization.”

Parker said he and his co-workers took three years to go through the process, which accredits the museum for 10 years. The AAM wanted to know, among other things, whether the museum’s collections were insured, protected by alarms and well taken care of, according to Parker. He said the museum’s bylaws and policies also were examined and updated.

Through the process, the AAM reassured the museum that its programming is strong.