FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2006

Museum Assessment Program Announces 2006 Participants

116 U.S. Museums Demonstrate a Commitment to Self-Study, Improvement

Washington, DC—The American Association of Museums (AAM) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are pleased to announce that 116 U.S. museums will participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) this year. Museums of all types and sizes will undertake one of AAM’s four museum assessments: Institutional, Collections Management, Governance, and Public Dimension.

MAP is a confidential process of self-study, peer review, and implementation. Museums use the assessment process to strengthen operations, build capacity, and enhance communication throughout the organization and in response to community needs. As a result of MAP, participants regularly report an increased level of professionalism, clearer focus on the museum’s mission, an energized staff and governing authority, and greater credibility with their stakeholders. Museums of all types, including art, history, science and technology, children’s, natural history, historic houses, nature centers, botanical gardens, and zoos participate in the program.

Small museums (those with annual operating expenses of $125,000 or less) are eligible to participate for free, a new feature of the program this year. Forty-six museums fall in this category, making MAP accessible to all museums, regardless of size.

“We welcome these museums into a process of self-reflection and improvement and congratulate them on their commitment to field-wide excellence,” said Ed Able, President and CEO of AAM. “Our nation’s museums are already high-performing and strong organizations. MAP is designed to make them even better.”

“The benefits of the Museum Assessment Program are impressive: recipient museums find ways to improve their institutions on every level,” said Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “The ultimate beneficiaries, of course, are the people and communities these museums serve. I am proud of the Institute’s role in this important program."

MAP is supported through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org/map, call 202/289-9118 or e-mail map@aam-us.org.

Click here for a list of participants, who will begin the MAP process in July.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: http://www.imls.gov.

About the American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums has been dedicated to promoting excellence within the museum community for over 100 years. AAM’s mission is to enhance the value of museums to their communities through leadership, advocacy and service. AAM is the only organization representing the nation’s entire museum community. Since its founding in 1906, AAM has grown to nearly 20,000 members, including more than 13,800 individual members, 3,000 corporate members, and more than 3,100 museums. For more about AAM, please visit www.aam-us.org.