Rogers Historical Museum has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. Rogers Historical Museum has been accredited since 1999. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status.
Alliance Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over fifty years, the Alliance’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable to provide the best possible service to the public.
The Rogers Historical Museum collects, preserves, and shares the history of Rogers and the surrounding area through its collections, exhibits, and educational programming. The museum proudly serves around 16,000 visitors annually, in addition to providing educational programming to an average of 7,000 school children each year. There are currently 65,000 objects in the museum’s permanent collection.
Museum Director Serena Barnett stated, “Being awarded reaccreditation in 2025 is such a great honor for the Rogers Historical Museum and it’s exciting that this is also the year the museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary. This recognition means that the Rogers Historical Museum continues meeting high standards in governance, collection care, and public service. All of this is achieved through the on-going hard work and dedication of museum staff, volunteers, museum commission, and supporting nonprofit organizations, the Rogers Historical Museum Foundation and Friends of the Rogers Historical Museum. We all work together to support the museum’s mission to enrich lives through education, experience and exploration of our heritage.”
Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, roughly 1,100 are currently accredited. Rogers Historical Museum is one of only ten museums accredited in Arkansas.
• Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock
• Arkansas State University Museum, Jonesboro
• Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, Pine Bluff
• Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, Piggott
• Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock
• Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Little Rock
• Museum of Discovery, Little Rock
• Peel Museum & Botanical Gardens, Bentonville
• Old State House Museum, Little Rock
Accreditation is a very rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.
“Accreditation is a monumental achievement,” said Marilyn Jackson, AAM President & CEO. “The process demonstrates an institution’s commitment to best practice and is flexible enough to be accomplished by museums of any size.”
