390th Memorial Museum Recognized for Excellence
Museum Passes the American Alliance of Museums’ Core Documents Verification Program
The 390th Memorial Museum has passed the American Alliance of Museums’ Core Documents Verification, an important milestone in its ongoing efforts to demonstrate excellence.
Approximately 3% of America’s museums have achieved this result: of the nation’s nearly 33,000 museums, 75 have passed the Core Documents Verification since the program’s inception in 2013 (over 1,000 additional museums have received Core Documents Verification by virtue of passing full accreditation). The 390th Memorial Museum is one of approximately 18 museums in Arizona to have achieved this.
Earning Core Documents Verification means that the American Alliance of Museums—the national professional organization for the museum industry– has verified through a thorough expert review that the museum has an educational mission as well as ethics, planning, emergency, and collections stewardship policies in place that reflect the highest standards of professional museum practice. These elements were evaluated because they are deemed essential for every institution that identifies itself as a professional member of the museum field.
Core Documents Verification: The Journey and the Destination
“One reason we undertook this outside review was to show the public that the museum has in place the policies and plans that are essential to good museum management. These policies provide our staff and governing authority the structure, ethical grounding, and accountability needed to make informed and consistent decisions for the good of our public and in support of our mission and sustainability,” said Walter Scales, the Museum’s Executive Director.
“A benefit of the process is that it strengthened communication and collaboration among our staff and Board of Directors,” Scales concluded.
About the 390th Memorial Museum
Serving to provide a window on the WWII air war over Europe through a memorial to the efforts of the 390th Bombardment Group, the 390th Memorial Museum is the only WWII-focused museum in the State of Arizona.
The 390th Memorial Museum is the Nation’s Home of the B-17 Flying Fortress.
The 390th Memorial Museum brands itself as “The Nation’s Home of the B-17 Flying Fortress”. It’s rare centerpiece, a fully restored B-17 Flying Fortress, was recently featured on a popular national TV show.
View of the 390th Memorial Museum’s exhibit centerpiece, a fully restored B-17 Flying Fortress.
The 390th Memorial Museum is co-located on the grounds of the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The museum is open daily from 10am-4:30pm. Admission is free with admittance to the Pima Air & Space Museum. For further information, visit 390th.org.
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. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, the Alliance is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.