SB Museum of Natural History Awarded Re-accreditation by American Alliance of Museums
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, only 1,114 are currently AAM-accredited. SBMNH is one of 76 AAM-accredited museums in California.
Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. All AAM-accredited museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain their status.
SBMNH’s history of accreditation goes back continuously to the beginning of the accreditation program itself: “This Museum was part of the first cohort to be accredited when the program was established in 1972,” says SBMNH President & CEO Luke J. Swetland. “Now, more than fifty years later, we continue to be proud of our commitment to operating at the highest standards of excellence on behalf of the community we serve.”
AAM accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. The program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable to provide the best possible service to the public.
AAM accreditation is a rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.
“Accreditation is a monumental achievement,” said Marilyn Jackson, AAM President & CEO. “The process demonstrates an institution’s commitment to best practice and is flexible enough to be accomplished by museums of any size.”
The importance of this badge of integrity is keenly felt in a field most recently affected by federal actions impacting the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) and the Smithsonian Institution. “Museums are foundational institutions in their communities,” says Swetland. “People know museums are safe and approachable, and we are respected and valued as trusted sources of cultural, historical, and scientific knowledge. Now more than ever, museums like ours provide spaces that bring us together around shared values and aspirations.”
In addition to the main location in the oak woodland along Mission Creek, the Museum’s organization includes a second campus, the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf, which connects guests to the Santa Barbara Channel’s marine environment. Education programs at both locations serve all ages to promote scientific literacy and instill a passion for nature and learning. The Museum stewards millions of specimens and artifacts in collections studied by researchers from around the world. Working with other institutions is a key part of the institution's impact and success, from AAM accreditation to collaboration with SoCal Museums for the annual Free-For-All, joining the IMLS initiative Museums for All, making collections data more accessible with the NSF’s Digitizing Invertebrates, and long-term participation in conservation alliances like the White Abalone Restoration Consortium.
The Museum and Sea Center are open daily, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM. Visit sbnature.org for more information.
