HIGH STANDARD MEANS WHAT STANDARD? THE NEED OF INTRODUCING AN ACCREDITATION SCHEME FOR POLISH MUSEUMS

In the Act on Museums, Chapter 3, the NationalRegister of Museums is pointed out as an official list to beentered by those institutions which represent both a highstandard of their cultural activity and a great importance oftheir collections. The relevant Ordinance – in accordancewith the Act – is to specify the manner in which the Registershould be run, the application form for candidates, the modeand conditions of entering it, and the control procedures.However, the Ordinance reveals neither the requirementsmuseums should meet nor the criteria of their assessment;only the application form contains the range of issues whichare to be analysed. It is a bit like taking part in a contestwithout the general terms. The categories used for theevaluation are known from the application form, but thereis no reference to any goals, the museums should strive for,or criteria that serve for their either positive or negative finalassessment. Even though the members of an evaluationcommittee are distinguished specialists, who undoubtedlyare able to assess the standard of museum performance, anassessment without criteria will always be purely subjectiveand immeasurable. In countries like e.g. the United Kingdomthere are accreditation systems which allow to have thehigh standard of museum performance certified. Theaccreditation schemes that are officially in use specify therequirements for museums in a clear manner, leaving nodoubt which constituent is being assessed and what criterionis used for it. It also has a positive impact on unification ofmanagement in museums, and indicates the direction theyshould take for improving the quality of their performance.These standards refer both to the strategic issues in relationto the management of the museum as an organisation andits collection, and to the experience it offers to their visitors.