Discovery Museum Earns Reaccreditation

The Lake County Discovery Museum recently and again achieved accreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. 

The Lake County Discovery Museum was initially accredited in 1995. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.  

AAM Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 35 years, AAM’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability.

Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited. The Lake County Discovery Museum is one of only 25 museums accredited in Illinois. 

Accreditation is a very rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers.

AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes as much as three years.

As part of the reaccreditation process the Lake County Discovery Museum has revised its mission and vision statements. These documents will guide the museum as it makes the move to its new home in Libertyville in the coming years.

The museum is celebrating their reaccreditation with Museum Community Day, a day of free admission and kids’ activities, on April 1. As part of the celebration the Friends of the Lake County Discovery Museum commissioned a congratulatory animated video. View the video at www.LCFPD.org/aam.

The Lake County Discovery Museum is located on Route 176, just west of Fairfield Road and east of Wauconda in Lakewood Forest Preserve. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for seniors ages 55 and older and students ages 18 to 25, and $2.50 for youth ages four to 17. Children three years and under are free. On Discount Tuesdays, admission is $3 for adults, and youth 17 years and under are free. Admission is always free for museum members.

For more information, visit www.LakeCountyDiscoveryMuseum.org or call 847-968-3400.