The American Association of Museums estimates that there are more than 17,500 museums in the U.S. and the number is growing. Small communities throughout the nation are opening or thinking about opening museums to preserve what the community deems an important story to tell, a way of life to be preserved, a building or structure to be saved, or a way to display the things that may have once defined the identity of the community.

Many new small history organizations lack the knowledge that would allow them to adequately plan for sustainability, for financial security or for the proper care, exhibition and interpretation of the objects that they collect. This is where the American Association for State & Local History’s new StEPs program can help by offering nationally recognized standards to guide them in institutional planning. This self-assessment program offers the organization’s leaders an opportunity to learn about the standards and best practices that were developed by members of the history field.  It allows them to compare their own organizational standards, practices and performance to those of their peers across the nation.  In the STEPs program each of the standards includes self-assessment questions and performance indicators broken down into basic, good, and better. Sections of the self-study workbook include Audience, Interpretation, Management, Mission, Vision & Governance, Stewardship of Collections, and Stewardship of Historic Structures & Landscapes. The StEPs program lets an organization work at their own pace, helps to structure the planning process, track progress and to improve one standard area at a time as they strive for institutional excellence.  This very affordable program is well suited to small organizations, or to organizations who wish to begin preparing themselves for the more rigorous American Association of Museums Accreditation process.

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