HomeMy WebLinkAbout0115.095, :
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6 ~ _ City of RPa10 Alto W..,--_____ C_l...:.·ty~M_an_a___!g~e_r_'s __ ep~o_=__.t!_
TO: HONORABLE-CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
CMR:l15:95 .
It.e-aocreditation or the Palo Alto JIIIIi« Museum IUId Zoo 'II'ItII the
AmerbD Associatioo or Mnseums
RF(J!F.SI' -
This is a requeot ~ Coonci! 10 =ffirm. continued suppo<I elli1e Palo Alto Junior Museum
. and Zoo 1$ a CiI)' fac>lil)' and program as sraff prOceeds wllh the fonnaI pror.ess el ... •
accredil.llioo with t.'le American Association of Museums (AMI).
RfCOMMFlIDATIONS
Staff rec<XIlmends thaI Cily Council reaffirm it. commitment \0 the Palo Alto .Junior
Museum and Zoo 1$ • Cily (wI)' and progIJUII by authorizing the Mayor 10 sign !he
A~Eation: ScI! Study document, as the tim step in ... -accredilaOOn with !be AAM.
P(U.JCV 1M1'IH'.A]1ONS
Approval for proceedin&Mth .. ·accreditation with !he .... .AM will rWfirm past Council
. policy cIi=Iion. -
F.XEClrnvE SllMM·ARY
S!aff received notification "" April 8, 1982 that I!1e Accreditation Commission el!he AAM
agreod that !be Palo Allo Junior Museum (and Lucy Evans Bayland. Na!urc lnlerprelive
_ Cen/.er 1$ • satellice racility), met bOO> the basi<; definicion el. museum end !be standards
_ of operation established by the mllllOU'" profession and was formaIl)' granted aca-cditation.
(CMR: 25"1:2).
Museums receiving accreditation mUS! underg" I rigorous ... ·accreditation pocess
approJdma\eJyevery five 10 ,.", Y""". Staff received notification el subsequent review and
the re·accreditation process in April 1993 and has been working since 10 prepare
infocm.1ioo for presentation 10 !be AAM.
!II order fOr • museum 10 be considered for accredi!lllion or re·accreditation,it shoold be
able 10 demonsl!ale that it is an organized and permanent nonprofit ir.stil"JIioo, essenliaIly
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educaIiotlll or esthetic:~, with professional staff, ",g, owns or utilizes tangible
objecl$. cares for :hem and exhibil$ :he m 10 the public on some regular scbe4ule. The
Ps10 Alto Junk>< Museum aM Zoo continues 10 moe; I!\ese and ell 04her significant critcri4
for maintaining acaeditaJion througb its exhibitions, children's ari and science classes and
wodsbops. OU!reKh prognms, use 0( community volunteers and ~upporI organizations,
and CU1'1t00a of the Museum's co!le<:tivns and inlt!pf"Cuve services provided in !he City"
nature prese",... la additivn, the Zoo is being added IS a component cl 1M Junior
Museum for purposes of re-accreditation. IS it has become In integral element of \he
~tionaI service, provided by the museum.
The fusI step in \he re-llCcredilalioo proce .. is the self sludy. which is currentl~ being
prepared by the museum s!aft'. This is followed by • review Ind analysis by the
Accreditation ~missjon. \he accreditation staff and a visiting committee of muaeum
professionals lIIat males on-silt inspectio<-... &sed on \he re~'iew 0( the irJonnation
prcsellled Chl'Ollgb these activities, !be Accreditation Commission may gran( TO
accreditatior" !able the museum's appr><:ation and request furth<>r information. table the
Dioseum', -application fur the correclioo. of specified deficiencies or 'Il'i!hhold TO
accrcditalioo._
FISCAl. IMPACT
No IisQ.: impact. The funds r.ecessary '" proceed .. ilb re-ac.:reditaficg b2vc been 1nclu<led
in the Recreation. OpeD Space and Sciences Division', 1994-9S budgeL
EYUlONMENTAl_ ASSESSMFNI
This i. no! • project .. defined by the CaJiforni. Environmental Qualily Act and is no!
.ubject 10 CEQA requirement,.
ATfACHMF.NTS _,
A, A pIlOlOCOPY 0( the 1982 certificate from the Accreditalioo. Commission of the
American As.sociation of Museums ce!'lifying lhatlhe Palo AlIO JuniOl' Museum has
received lCCIeditacion.
B. CMR:251:2
Pr.pored bY' John Wallon. Recreation, Open Space and Sciences
Department &ad Review: ~;(iii4 C;:?,.
PAUL THILTGEN
Director of Community Services
Cily Manager Approval: ~
BERNARDM. siROP
A5sistant Cit) Manager
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CM1: l'S:9S
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~The Accreditation ~Commjssjonof &e
Am • A .. encan8SQC1ation
of Mu.seums
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xf.an~orIlUMU"" \ossr"o-m ... ~,,".·O~ iii. <IlA"""',;"7',e :.'I,'l()jj1 ~"02')lJl,!.k.
NOTIFICATION Of INT£.T TO AWA.~D MlISfUM ~CCREDITATION
TQ
PAlO AlTO JUNIOR ~JM
Bl .cc~ptfng the mu$eum .cer.~it.tion .ward, the museum hereby
conseots to Ind aMores bl the cfK1sIO<1S of the Atereditation COI]1l!lsslon
of the Amerfcl:n Assocfltfon of .'tuse1JTl5 ",garding (ontfr.ufng rev few. re ...
accredftati~n. or ~t~dri~l of I(c~d;tatfcn~ The mu$e~~ understand5
that the museum actredftition certificate is t~ pr~pertl ef the Amerfc!~
.. ~SSOtfatrDn Clf Museums.. fhe certfficlte Ny be retained' ar.d dispiayed so
long IS the ~use~ meets the stfnda~~s cf accredita~;on is Q!termined by
t~e A,creditat;on (ommfssi~.
Si-gnatu.r"1!' cf DirectOr'
'Ii'l1e of Director tnPfD}
Tnle Tm.
Cate
~~se!JIR (name-exacU1 IS you WOIJld lHe it to .appear -on accredftation <ertiffcate}
. Streit Ad4f'1!sS City/State Zip Code
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I'-.y S. 1$82
r~~ ~OHORA!LE CITY COUNCil
P~io Alto. C.liformf,
FILE COpy
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~rjcan ~soefatlor. of ~~seums ~lfjcation of In:ent to Awarl ~useum
Ac(:redi'tnlon
~~.b-er"$ of tlle Counei I:
rnis staff reDO~t inform5 ~n,il t~at, the PaTo Aito J~ntQ~ ~se~ and the lucy
Evart! B.ayhnd'S' Nature fcterpreti'Ve Center' !lave ~een notified of the l~tent of
t:,.e .!I«oerican Asscx:iatfor'l of PWseU':l5 to ao .. ard accrec!itatioo •. ~c.;ed~to!ltion for
t~e ;ilfo AI to junio,I"" }!Iuse-uta and' l.ucy ["fans !.aylands Nature hterp..-etive Cent'!!!;"'
'Wi: t be grant'!cf as 0l1~ institutior: .. A <:opy of the noeiflcatio." of iote.nt is
a::ccned. Staff recommends t~~ Council aut~rjze t~e ~ayor to exec~te the
a:~;e~~d ~tifi'.tion of Inter.t to awar~ ~u5eum accr~dltaticn •
. 5Gc~c;c>und!" The Amedcan As!!Ooci.;tion (If Pluseums lAAt1) ililitlated i! prO~l"a'll of
at::;reditat40!1 irr. 1970 tea l'Cecognition of tnt: need for specHicaliy d'efin.e-d gurde
Ti1":ol!-s a",d attaio3bh-pro,fusicI'al s-undards of c-tlltlJral itnd e"\Jc~tional service
te .. 'F\Tcf"~ Ii ,"l,Iseum sho .. fd' i'spire~
:~ i~79. t~e P~T~ AJto Jun1o~ ~U5eum and t~e (Qcy Evans BayTands "at~re Jmcerpret7ve
~."tur-..... it!l SIJPPOr't from the Associ.etes of tne Junior Museum. filed' an i!pplica::ion
f~~ sccrecitoti~. ~creditation was soug~t because:
I~' .A_ccreditation prOfl'Otes itlsitutional se1.f-co,'fide~-c.e arid engenoer5
profess io""l prll1e. .of accomplishment and qu.el rtt (.or tfle staff ani!
po1tc~-~ki~g body;
Z~ Acc:-edituion is an rmponant vf!nide fo·r e.valuation 2"'ld .;:nalysis that
id'cl'ltH1es .. .I1lJseum's :Stl"'ength:S; as 'HeH &S ""eaKroesses;
3~ kcrediUtion signi ficantl, stre~gthe~s professio.,at respect and' cooper-onion
bet:'Nef!;r\ INJseumi. and.;
4. Acc.redjtation tlelps guide private ar.d government agen.cies r~ decision
-wi th respect ta. contributions,. grants and C-Ot"Itr .. cts~
t\c:i;-iutjo~: Suff n!c:e: ...... ed notifjc.,ation Apr'!l S. \9:~2 t~3t. after-thollgr.t.f .. l
dei i~riilt:ton and reviev. the Ac.cre~HUtion Corr.m'!ssi'on of tne Amedcan As.s.oc.iation
or ~usel,,\l'l1s nilS a;reed t'nat tJ'le P .. lo "'Ito _Junicr Jl\useU1Yt h:'ld 'lUCy h'ans 'Bayhnds
"'a::.Jre hte"'Dretive Ce:l'lter} lfIeets t'fle basic: -d"effoition of i! lIL'seu", and tf'1e
'!!it02rlcards of operation establ ished by the m ... ~eum profe-s'5ion and .... i 1 \ 'be 91'al"!te-6.
a<:l"~ditati'QI'l~ jIIIIuseum accre::Htation certifies that the Fa To Alto Ju,-,ior l'1.useum
an-e llJC)' ('\tilns &ay1ands lIattlre Il'Iterpl"etive (enter have undergot'1e a Ti2'C-f'OIJ'S
professional examination e:stablisl'led by the American ,tI,ss-o<:iation ~f MU5~UITS t!'lrougn
~~e completion of .. detai1e6 written question~ajre,. and the Stu~y of museum
C!Oer-atlons by a-llisitir,g coornitue of the kcrE:ditaciC)t'!' Cotmliss1on.
C. .... ~:2SJ:l
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. Lawrel'ce \4 lIte~r .. AAI{ Eli rector corrmented On. tl'le awolrcf by silYtng.""'Th~ P.10 A1to
J~i~ Muse~'5 ~~ces5f~1 a~ieyeme~t of .eereditation sj9njfr~~ that it ;5
MK Cltl, _etl~ prof,"ssTonal ,tandar-d''5 of" operuion. but i'5 U'5il".g its resources
effectf~r)' to obuin hs stated 9oats.~·
Fo-r the. pUf"posu of the aeeredi UltTon pf"ognllr; of the Mr1.. ill mlIsel.r.l iii defined
as u •••• 1'\ Of'51an r z-ed ,and pt:f1!)iInen t r;¢1'\·,pf"O fi t i Q5 t i tl.lt ion. -esse., ti .11y edYe4I tiona 1
or "st~.tTc ia lP~r.P05e .. wftfl professional suff. 'WPl1c:'h c--ns and uti I izes
tang:iUt: ~Jects. ures 10f' there .. alH! exl'libits t1lem to the pl.ibl i~ OM some;
reguhr sdled'ule.'l
Of tne .MOrt t~iM 5.,000 IOOSe.Ums ill tMe Ot!ite:d States. on'" 1196 -are. r'lQiIor{ afforded
tUs recognition by the American A$sociatiQ(l of ..I'hJ'5~ums.
h gral'ltrag accreditation to tile , .. fo Afto Junior J'llJselml. the Conrnission"s
yisitrng ~ommittee had only one ~¢ncer~ and ~it~d t~e coneicion of the
ethnoTogy c:otfection. The "'isicing cOlT'mittee recOf'l'm!;:nd'~::f that t.f'le collection
!:e sto'l"ed ill it ltlmtdity controlled environmel'lt .. Staff is pres.entl., f'eviewIr'lg
.PO'Ssi~Te op:.ion-s fef" ccrrectTng this singuhr d'eHcl'ency an~ -will make a
re~ndation at a tater date ..
Staff Re~n4~tions: Staff I"ecommends (Me Council autho~~ze the ~ayo~ to
exec'Uti the notification of r"tent to ilWanf munum acc.~ediution.
Att'3chmen t
c-c: Auochtes -of tne Ju:njo~ J'luseurn