Idaho Museum of Natural History receives national accreditation for excellence, plans for a new exhibit in September
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Museum of Natural History (IMNH) on the Idaho State University campus in Pocatello has received its accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). This award is the highest national recognition for museums and places. The IMNH is one of only five accredited museums in the state.
The AAM is a nationwide organization that certifies museums for excellence in all aspects of professional practice. They look at both the care of the collections in a museum as well as the space and experience for patrons to learn about the exhibits.
The accreditation process is rigorous and can take up to a year. Education manager at IMNH, Robert Gay, said people from other museums come from out of state to review the museum's policies, procedures, and paperwork for evaluation.
"They look at all of our facilities to make sure they're up to snuff, signage, storage and our staffing to make sure we have an appropriate number of people for the amount of collections we care for," Gay said. "It's not just one thing, but it's the whole nature of the museum."
It doesn't take just beautiful exhibits to be AAM accredited, rather, it takes a state-of-the-art, professional institution from the inside out. Museums have to be reevaluated for accreditation every ten years.
For the museum staff, this recognition is proof of their hard work and a promise that they will continue to serve at the highest level.
"It shows other museums in the state and the region that we are operating at the top level the country can expect a museum to be at," Gay said. "We are the only accredited natural history museum in the entire state. It shows folks that we are doing what we need to do to take care of our collections and to present that information to the public, and provides a level of public trust."
Gay explained IMNH is a publicly funded institution with the state legislature placing it on a special appropriation. He said the museum is committed to being good stewards of those taxpayer dollars.
"By being accredited, it's a way that we can show we're making the best use of taxpayer dollars and making sure these collectioons here in Idaho about Idaho's natural history are safe for generations to come," Gay stated.
The Idaho Museum of Natural History provides a snapshot of Idaho's history, including dinosaur skeleton replicas, indigenous objects that are tens of thousands of years old, and rocks, minerals, gems, plants, and animals. Because it is on the university campus, the IMNH also has the opportunity to provide students with research experience.
Fall Fossil Fest is coming up in November, an event put on by the museum, with more details to be released soon. The festival will include researchers and hands-on exhibits, with specialists from across Idaho and some out-of-state visitors.
The gallery at the Idaho Museum of Natural History will be closing in September for a full revamp of the front-of-house exhibit. The grand re-opening will be September 26th, with free entry. Gay said they've had plans in the works for a new front exhibit for years, and they're excited to finally put it together for the community.
"This is our first update in about five years, we're also really excited to be opening a new gallery space sometime in the near future," he said. "We can't wait to reopen the gallery at the end of September and welcome everyone back to see all the cool stuff we've got coming up."
