Las Vegas Natural History Museum Earns Highest National Recognition from the American Alliance of Museums
Among Only Handful of Museums Worldwide to be Awarded with Accreditation
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, governments, funders, outside agencies, and the museum-going public. The Las Vegas Natural History Museum was initially accredited in 2013, however all museums must undergo a review every 10 years to maintain accreditation status.
Alliance accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 50 years, the Alliance’s accreditation 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 in order to provide the best possible service to the public.
“We are extremely proud of this accomplishment; it is a testament to the quality and resilience of our museum. To maintain our position among just 8% of accredited natural history museums throughout the world, is very meaningful to our community,” said Kate Porter, Co-Executive Director.
Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, over 1,108 are currently accredited. The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is one of only five museums accredited in Nevada.
Accreditation is a very 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.“Accredited museums are a community of institutions that have chosen to hold themselves publicly accountable to excellence,” said Laura L. Lott, Alliance President and CEO. “Accreditation is clearly a significant achievement, of which both the institutions and the communities they serve can be extremely proud.”
About the Las Vegas Natural History Museum
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum was established in 1989. After humble beginnings, this private nonprofit museum is now a Smithsonian Affiliate, accredited with the American Alliance of Museums, and is a federal and state repository for fossils and artifacts. From the desert to the ocean, from Nevada to Africa, from prehistoric times to the present, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum takes visitors of all ages on a learning adventure around the world. Please visit lvnhm.org, follow on Facebook and LinkedIn at Las Vegas Natural History Museum; and @LVHNMuseum on Twitter and Instagram. For additional information, please call (702) 384-3466.
About the American Alliance of Museums
The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.