Metro Parks Tacoma announcement.
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, located in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park,has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), which is administered by the American Alliance of Museums. Through guided self-study assessment and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will empower Fort Nisquallyto better serve the citizens of Tacoma by facilitating its meeting and exceeding the highest professional standards of the museum field.
The museum’s participation is made possible through funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). MAP helps museums strengthen operations, plan for the future, and meet standards through self-study assessment and a consultative site visit from an expert peer reviewer.
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum has chosen to do a MAP Collection Stewardship assessment in order to mitigate the risks to objects on display and increase accessibility to research materials. The museum will review environmental conditions in each of its buildings and create a Housekeeping Plan in an effort to institutionalize preventative care and ensure the preservation of its collection. “Our museum has an extensive collection of objects and documents related to the Hudson Bay Company and Puget Sound Agricultural Company at Fort Nisqually,” says Site Supervisor Jim Lauderdale. “Being a living history museum, we face unique collection stewardship challenges. Participating in this program will allow us to prioritize long-term preservation issues.”
“Choosing to be part of the MAP program is indicative of the commitment to civic involvement, public service and overall excellence on the part of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum,” said Laura Lott, president of AAM. “Studies have shown America’s museums to be among the country’s most trusted and valued institutions. MAP is designed to make them even better.”
Since its creation in 1981, the MAP program has served over 5,000 museums. MAP is supported through a cooperative agreement between AAM and IMLS. For more information, including a complete list of museums participating in MAP, please visit www.aam-us.org/map, call 202-289-9118 or e-mail map@aam-us.org. Our website also has information about museums across the country who have previously participated in MAP and other AAM Excellence Programs (such as Core Document Verification and Accreditation).
AAM is the only organization representing the nation’s entire museum community and has been dedicated to promoting excellence within the museum field for over 100 years. For more information about AAM, visit www.aam-us.org. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: http://www.imls.gov.
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is a restoration of the Hudson’s Bay Company outpost and headquarters of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company. Visitors travel back in time and experience life in Washington Territory during the 1850s. Nine buildings are open to the public, including the Granary and the Factors House, both National Historic Landmarks, and a Visitor Center with Museum Store.
