May 2011 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 7. Waterfront News MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM ARCHIVES RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION


BATH – Maine Maritime Museum has again achieved accreditation by the American As- sociation of Museums (AAM), an achieve- ment that fewer than 5% of U.S. museums attain.


“The accreditation process is both lengthy and demanding, but worth doing,” says Amy Lent, executive director of the MMM. “Accreditation means Maine resi- dents and our members and supporters na- tionwide can be assured and take pride that the institution is fulfilling its mission of pre- serving and promoting Maine’s unique mari- time heritage; that it is accountable to the community, operates at the highest level of professional standards in all ways and is committed to continued improvement.” The accomplishment marks the third time that the museum has been accredited by the association, having previously achieved


“It’s all about saving history, one light- house keeper photo at a time, but we are running out of time,” says Tim Harrison pub- lisher of Lighthouse Digest, the Maine based lighthouse news and history magazine. Harrison, who has been researching and documenting lighthouse history since 1989, said he continues to be surprised at how few historic photographs have been located of the lighthouse keepers as well as the memo- ries of their lives at the lighthouses. Accord- ing to Harrison, that while photographs of the lighthouse keepers of some of the more well known lighthouses have surfaced in recent years, photographs of the keepers at many of the lesser known lighthouses continue to be elusive.


“Many people seem to think that you can just open up a drawer in a filing cabinet and the photos will be there,” says Harrison.


the mark in 1983 and 1997. All accredited museums must undergo a reaccreditation review to maintain the status. AAM accredi- tation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, out- side agencies, and to the museum-going public.


The AAM accreditation program was developed and is maintained by museum professionals across the country for more than 35 years, and is considered the leading instrument for quality assurance, self-regula- tion and public accountability within the museum field. It strengthens participating museums by promoting practices that enable employees and trustees to make informed decisions, to allocate limited resources wisely, and to remain financially and ethically accountable, which ultimately provides a higher level of service to the public.


Although old photographs of lighthouse keepers do surface from time to time, he said, “The fact is that there are probably hundreds of old photos and documents tucked away in attics and photo albums in the possession of the descendants of the lighthouse keepers.” Harrison said that once the photographs are located and shared with him, he can pub- lish them in Lighthouse Digest as well as preserve the images in their archives for fu- ture generations. Additionally, Harrison, who has written eleven lighthouse books, is now working on additional books on the history of lighthouses and he hopes that the descendants will come forward to share the photos so that they can be proud to honor their ancestors by having their photos pub- lished.


“Over the years a lot of research has been done on lighthouses and a number of


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“We began the process three years ago,” says Lent, “and all the work to meet the accreditation standards had to be squeezed into an already full schedule necessary to keep the museum open 362 days a year. The staff, trustees, and volunteers deserve all the credit for making this happen.”


To earn accreditation a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, ensuring AAM standards are met in every area of gover- nance, collections care, stewardship, pro- gramming, and operations. The final step is two-day site visit by a team of peer reviewers. The self-study and visiting committee report are then reviewed in detail by AAM’s Ac- creditation Commission, which determines whether a museum receives accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes as long as three years.


books have been written, but very few of them contain photographs of the lighthouse keepers and the family members who lived a rugged existence at these remote outposts,” says Harrison. He went on to say, “Without the photographs and memories of the people who staffed these lighthouses, they are just historic cold buildings. It was the people who lived at them that made the lighthouses fa- mous. They are the people who endured the hardships, made the sacrifices and in some cases lost their lives to protect and save the lives of others.”


Once a book is published, the opportu- nity to include the yet-to-be discovered pho- tos of the lighthouse keepers is gone. “That’s just one more reason why it’s important for descendants as well as historical societies to step forward to help us with this effort,” he said.


Harrison said it is much easier today for descendants, or others, to help share this history than it was a number of years ago, “Duplicates of old photos can now be easily made at most chain stores or photos can be computer scanned and high resolution im- ages can be e-mailed to me,” says Harrison. However he also points out that it is impor- tant to scan the old photos at their actual size


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“Accreditation is emblematic of an institution’s commitment to public service and to overall excellence,” said Ford W. Bell, AAM president. “Attaining accreditation involves taking a hard look at yourself, allow- ing your peers in the field to do the same, and being judged to be superior in all areas. The people of Maine can take great pride in the fact that Maine Maritime Museum is one of America’s premier museums.”


The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of con- cern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institu- tional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape.


Help Sought in Locating Lighthouse Keeper Photos


but save them at a high resolution of 300 dpi (pixels) or higher. “This gives a clear image for use when publishing the photos,” he says. Harrison said he believes we are now at the absolute final point in history for the photographs to surface in order to be cor- rectly and fully documented. He went on to say, “Once the people who can identify the people in these old photographs are gone, it may be too late. And that would be a shame.” Harrison can be contacted by e-mail at Editor@LighthouseDigest.com or by mail at Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 250, East Machias, ME 04630. You can also call him at 207-259-2121.


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