Monaghan County Museum confirmed its status of a Fully Accredited member of the Museum Standards for Ireland Programme at a major national ceremony in Croke Park.
Established by the Heritage Council in 2007 to benchmark and promote professional standards in the care of collections, the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI) has attracted involvement across the cultural spectrum, from national institutions to small, volunteer-led organisations. Representative of the dynamism and activity of the museum sector, Monaghan County Museum became the first local authority museum in the history of the state to achieve full accreditation in 2008. Now that the museum has moved to its new home in the state-of-the-art Peace Campus in Monaghan town, it was necessary to reapply and show that they held these rigorous professional standards in their new home, which they have now achieved. While recognising the achievement of standards through accreditation, the MSPI is also about supporting the museum community as a whole. Its participants engage in a range of processes, which help to secure Ireland’s collections for future generations and to engage its visitors with what those collections have to offer.
Representatives from Monaghan County Museum joined museum workers – professional and voluntary – from across Ireland at the MSPI awards ceremony in Croke Park last week. The demanding assessment process requires museums to meet each of thirty four internationally recognised MSPI standards ensuring the highest standards in visitor services, collections care and governance.
Commenting on the achievement, the Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council said:
“Monaghan County Museum has proudly served the people of Monaghan and the wider border region for more than 50 years. It is a great honour for me, as Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council, to mark the year in which the Museum achieved Full Accreditation under the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland. Under the leadership of Curator Liam Bradley, and through the dedication of the entire Museum team, this achievement reflects a sustained commitment to the highest professional standards and reinforces the Museum’s position as one of the Council’s flagship services.”
The MSPI assessors were impressed with the knowledge and involvement of all of the staff at Monaghan County Museum, which is obvious throughout the policies, exhibitions and education provision. There are many aspects of collection management that are also exemplary.
Commenting on the accreditation, Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council said:
“It has been my pleasure as Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council to work with the museum team during the service’s transition to its new state of the art home at the Peace Campus in Monaghan town. Their ability to apply for and achieve Full Accreditation in the midst of this enormous strategic development is a testament to their dedication and professionalism as a team.”
Exciting plans for the future development of the Museum at its new home were also noted in the MSPI assessor’s report. Commenting on this, the Museum’s Curator, Liam Bradley, said:
‘Monaghan County Museum at its new home in the Peace Campus was a dream given form. This multicultural space, which also houses the library service, Foroige youth services as well as a range of other community focused programmes will have a transformative impact on the future of our county and the border region. The whole museum team looks forward to playing a central role in this challenging goal in the years to come. Full Accreditation under the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland gives us the strategic and professional impetus to step forward into the future of the service.’