Community Corner

'Pawn Stars' Consultant Makes Visit to Edmonds Historical Museum

The visit was part of a yearlong assessment of the museum's future growth opportunities.

This week, the Edmonds Historical Museum welcomed a peer reviewer as part of a yearlong museum assessment program—and he’s somewhat of a celebrity.

Mark Hall-Patton is the administrator of the Clark County Museum system in Nevada and a regular history consultant on the History Channel’s "Pawn Stars."  Hall-Patton met with staff and board members Monday and Tuesday in an effort to evaluate the museum for future growth opportunities.

Prior to the visit, the museum completed a six-month self-study through the American Association of Museums (AAM). Staff and board members are looking for ways to better serve the citizens of Edmonds and south Snohomish County by meeting and exceeding the highest professional standards of the museum field.

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“We’re really excited about this process of discovery, and hope we come away with some tangible ways to better our museum,” said Museum director Tarin Erickson.

The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) is funded by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and throughout its 30 years has been administered by AAM. As part of the IMLS National Leadership program, MAP advances best practices and fosters improvement in museums.  

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“Choosing to be part of the MAP program is indicative of the commitment to civic involvement, public service and overall excellence on the part of the Edmonds Historical Museum,” said Ford W. Bell, president of AAM. “Studies have shown America’s museums to be among the country’s most trusted and valued institutions. MAP is designed to make them even better.”

Museums use the assessment process to strengthen operations, build capacity, and enhance communication throughout the organization and in response to community needs.

Since its creation in 1981, the MAP program has served over 4,300 museums. MAP is supported through a cooperative agreement with IMLS. For more information, including a complete list of museums participating in MAP, go to www.aam-us.org/map.

The Edmonds Historical Museum is located at 118 Fifth Ave. N., Edmonds. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 1-4 p.m.  Suggested donation is $2 per adult and $1 per child. For more information, go to historicedmonds.org.


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