AASLH is about six months away from launching its new Standards program to help small- to mid-sized history organizations learn more about national museum standards. The project is funded by a grant from IMLS. It’s truly been a grassroots effort with more than 125 people from across the country serving as task force, committee and team members plus service provider pilots and pilot sites.

I’m often asked how this new program will define “small” museum. Goodness. How our field defines “small” is an ongoing debate and for now I’m going to leave that decision to others. Here’s my take on the question as far as the new Standards program goes: if you think your museum would benefit from receiving information and resources about national standards then we would love to have you enroll in the program next summer. We’re not going to turn away any museum, historic house, or historic site no matter how large or how small.  

Where did these standards originate that we’ll be using in the new program? We’ve adopted national standards in use by the American Association of Museums in its Accreditation program because we (task force and committee members) believe that not only are the standards solid (why reinvent the wheel?), but that if both AASLH and AAM use the same standards we create a smoother path of improvement for the museum field as a whole.

We will, however, add additional standards especially ones pertaining to historic structures and landscapes. Most importantly, we will offer self-assessment questions, performance indicators (basic, good and better), and a variety of resources related to the standards. These materials are intended to help history organizations assess their current performance level in six areas, identify projects they can undertake to make needed improvements, and find the resources and training they need to successfully complete their projects.  

I’ve worked on the development of this program for just over three years and while it’s been an interesting and challenging assignment from the start, the past several months have been particularly inspiring. During that time, I’ve watched as eight service organization pilots and 47 pilot sites undertook projects related to helping them meet or move closer to meeting one or more standards. The projects have symbolized significant steps for some of the organizations. Things like a first-ever collections management policy for an organization that is more than fifty years old. Researching an interpretive plan or writing a statement of interpretive goals. Learning how to conduct a basic visitor survey. Compiling the organization’s first-ever board of directors’ orientation manual. Training board and staff members in reading financial statements. These are the kinds of achievements we want to see in AASLH’s new Standards program and we can’t wait to hear about more success stories when the program is open and ready for participation from museums across the country!

Beverly Miller, staff member of the Bois Forte Heritage Museum in Tower, Minnesota, received training from staff at the Minnesota Historical Society to build a mount for this bandolier bag. Photograph courtesy of MHS.

Every year, I have the distinct pleasure to work on the upcoming Seminar for Historical Administration. This past week, I ventured to Indianapolis, Indiana, to kick off the 49th SHA at our host institution, the Indiana Historical Society.

In my opinion, SHA is one of the finest professional development programs in the country. It is sponsored by six organizations—AAM, AASLH, Colonial Williamsburg, IHS, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture—that each care deeply about training the next generation of leaders in our field.

Some of the field’s greatest minds teach the three week curriculum and each year the partners review the program to ensure that it’s meeting the needs of the field. We tweak the schedule and presents based on the program’s evaluation and our own understanding of the issues facing the field. For example, in 2007 we introduced a session called “The Electric Museum” looking at issues of technology.

Yet the formal program is only a small part of the seminar. Based on my conversations with SHA alumni and my own observations, it is the peer networking that makes SHA nonpariel. Each year, the partners meet and select the eighteen history professionals who will make up that year’s SHA class. It is a competitive process and we put an incredible amount of thought into selecting the class.

My experience in the two years I’ve been managing the program for AASLH has been nothing short of inspiring. I look forward to my meetings with the partners each year and to meeting each year’s class.

Three weeks is a long time to be away from work and home to be sure. Yet seminarians report that the experience was well worth that time and effort.

One person from the Class of 2007 noted, “The confidence I gained and the new insights are invaluable as well as the bond with other professionals in my field. The memories I made there will be with me forever. I not only benefited as a professional but also personally. It gave me confidence in myself to be trained by the top professionals in my field and that carries into every aspect of my life.”

I believe that SHA is one of the best and most inspiring professional development opportunities around and it is something I am proud to be a part of.

I hope you will consider applying for the Class of 2009 and/or will forward along information on the program to your peers. You can find information about the program and the application process here.