Long Island Museum In Stony Brook Re-Accredited By The American Alliance of Museums

STONY BROOK, NY — The Long Island Museum has been accredited again by the American Alliance of Museums — the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums, the organization said Tuesday.

The museum, which was founded in 1939, has more than 60,000 artifacts and is the only Smithsonian Affiliate in the region.

The accreditation, which signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public, brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement, according to the museum's directors.

The status is "the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability," they said in a news release. As part of the designation, the museum, which first achieved the status in 1973, must be reviewed at least every 10 years.

Around 1,100 of the 33,000 museums in the United States are currently accredited, with the Long Island Museum being one of only 69 museums accredited in New York.

Accreditation is a rigorous process examining 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, which is an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.

Sarah Abruzzi, the museum's co-executive director of operations, said that earning the prestigious re-accreditation "reflects the continuing excellence of our inspiring, engaging exhibitions and programming, as well as the dedication, and hard work of our staff."

Joshua Ruff, the museum's co-executive director of collections and programming, said staffers are proud to have once again achieved the accreditation, "and look forward to
continuing to be a valued resource in our community as we move into the future with this
important honor, and our commitment to being a place where people can return to repeatedly for
unique and enlightening experiences."

American Alliance of Museums' President and Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Jackson called the accreditation "a monumental achievement."

“The process demonstrates an institution’s commitment to best practice and is flexible enough to be accomplished by museums of any size," she added.