The Western Museums Association, in coordination with the American Alliance of Museums, is kicking off a campaign to increase participation in the Pledge of Excellence. The Western Region, currently has 194 museums that have signed the Pledge.

The Pledge of Excellence, the first step in the Continuum of Excellence, is a  one-step, no-cost way to show that your museum is committed to standards and best practices. It also sends a clear message to elected and government officials that museums and their staff are dedicated to their educational mission, serving their communities and meeting the highest professional standards.

"Through the Pledge, museums state they will strive to operate according to standards and best practices to the best of their abilities and resources," said American Alliance of Museums President Ford W. Bell. "It is a simple but critical step in field-wide advocacy efforts, vital to demonstrating the value of museums of all types and sizes."

This is the museum field’s  Pledge of Excellence—we can all use it for advocacy purposes and show that for a field that is not regulated, we are highly effective at self-regulation.

The current campaign kicked off at Museums Advocacy Day (Feb. 25-26) and concludes at the AAM Annual Meeting (May 19-22), where Pledge participants will be announced at the general session.

Taking the Pledge is voluntary, free and available to all museums and operates on the honor system. Visit the AAM website to take the Pledge now. Contact Julie Hart at AAM with questions or for more information.