The AAM Accreditation Commission awarded the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum at Brigham Young University initial accreditation in 1998. Continuing accreditation recognition was granted to the College of Eastern Utah's Prehistoric Museum and the University of Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Accreditation represents excellence and recognizes a museum's commitment to the highest professional standards of operation and public accountability. Congratulations to all of these institutions. As the 20th century draws to a close, museums are witnessing extraordinary transformation and change.
Technology advances in the blink of an eye.
Fierce competition with other leisure activities stretches the public's time, attention, and money. Changing demographic patterns create new audiences and a multitude of voices. Traditional sources of funding are vanishing. Expanding public service roles mean greater accountability. In over 140 sessions, participants are encouraged to contemplate the many ways museums make a difference as catalysts for economic development, as safe havens for learning and discovery, and as sources of civic pride and societal harmony.