Hemingway-Pfeiffer program 
at Piggott awarded IMLS grant
 
Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center will participate in the Museum Assessment Program administered by the American Association of Museums.  The program is designed to help museums assess their strengths and weaknesses and plan for the future.

In announcing the grant, Dr. Ruth Hawkins, director of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, said that the assessment will provide “an excellent opportunity early in our development to make sure that everything we do is first-rate.  Further, it will be a wonderful tool that we can use in our continuing cycle of strategic planning and performance evaluation.”

A thorough and professional assessment of a museum, especially a smaller one, not only allows museum professionals to recognize the full potential of their institution, but to make viable plans to reach it without wasting precious resources, said IMLS Director, Robert Martin.  “It is especially rewarding to make these valuable grants in the year in which we are celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the Museum Services Act — the legislation that created a federal agency to support the nation’s museums.” 

MAP includes the completion of a self-study questionnaire, an on-site visit by a museum professional (surveyor), a confidential report of recommendations for change, and assistance with the integration of the assessment results into the museum’s strategic planning process. 

MAP offers four types of assessments: Institutional Assessment, Collections Management, Public Dimension and Governance Assessment.  The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center received a $1,775 grant to participate in the Collections Management Assessment, which focuses on a review of collections use, planning, policies, and procedures within the context of the museum’s total operation. 

IMLS is a federal grant-making agency located in Washington, D.C. that fosters leadership, innovation and a lifetime of learning by supporting museums and libraries. 

Dr. Hawkins said the assessment will bring the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center one step closer to its goal of becoming nationally accredited by the American Association of Museums.  At present, only seven museums in Arkansas have such accreditation, including the Arkansas State University Museum in Jonesboro. 

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