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St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum Receives Highest National Recognition

MAEC_new building facade_copy
The new Maritime Archaeology & Education Center opened in 2017. Courtesy St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum has achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies and to the museum-going public.

Alliance Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over 45 years, the Alliance’s museum 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.

“AAM Accreditation has been a long time goal. It was a rigorous process for all involved including our dedicated staff and our enthusiastic Board of Trustees as well as our many volunteers. As a team, we made it to the pinnacle in our field, and we couldn’t be more pleased than we are in this moment,” said Executive Director Kathy A. Fleming. Fleming went on to add, “AAM Accreditation helps us share the importance of Florida’s museums. We are curators of community heritage and culture, passionate advocates for authentic stories and dynamic educational programs and most importantly we are stewards of the public trust.”

Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, over 1,070 are currently accredited. Florida has over 400 museums according to the Florida Association of Museums database and the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is one of only fifty-six accredited in the state, as well as the only accredited museum in St. Johns County.

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. The Alliance’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.”

The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is open seven days a week from 9 AM to 6 PM with daily Behind the Scenes tours included with admission. Visit our website for additional information at www.staugustinelighthouse.org.

Submitted by Sonya Creamer, March 21, 2018, St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum

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