Quinte Educational Museum

Quinte Educational Museum & Archives

Policy - Community Standards

COMMUNITY STANDARDS

Preamble            The Quinte Educational Museum and Archives (QEMA) strives to 
                    be a steward of history for Prince Edward County and Ontario. 

Meeting the Needs   QEMA will provide services and programs consistent with its
of the Community    statement of purpose that meet the needs and interests of the 
                    community. QEMA will strive to meet all the intellectual needs of 
                    Prince Edward County and any other visitors to the museum. QEMA 
                    will exhibit objects from its own collection, from other public 
                    institutions, or from private sources, in order to satisfy the museums 
                    statement of purpose and to satisfy the needs and interests of the 
                    public. QEMA will also develop themes or storylines and research 
                    each object on display, in order to interpret for the visitor the history 
                    or unique character of the object. The themes, content and formats 
                    will be consistent with the museums statement of purpose and meet 
                    the needs and interests of the community. 

Public              QEMA will allow all sectors of the community to participate in 
Participation       decisions, goals and directions that may affect them or reflect them. 
	            This goal is achieved through committees, focus groups, public 
                    surveys, public open houses, and through partnerships with 
                    community groups, organizations, businesses and citizens at large. 

Include Members     QEMA is committed to including members of the community in all 
of the Community    activities. QEMA as a non-profit, educational establishment operates 
                    for the community’s betterment and is open to the public. As a 
                    museum QEMA makes its reserve collection and archives accessible 
                    to the public, and through QEMA’s exhibits the museum is helping 
                    create a strong and proud community by celebrating Prince Edward 
                    County’s heritage. 
	
	            As the Exhibition Policy states:
                    Make accessible to the public the collections and collections-based 
                    research by featuring ideas, objects, and specimens for their social, 
                    aesthetic, or historical interest, and by implementing innovative 
                    interpretation strategies to reach more diverse audiences.

                    As the Interpretation Policy states:
                    *      Encourage understanding of the natural and cultural heritage of 
                           Prince Edward County, Ontario, and Canada.
                    *      Increase public commitment and support by making QEMA an 
                           invaluable educational resource for the community.
                    *      Make QEMA accessible to a wide and diverse audience.
                    *      Enrich visitor experience and foster collections-based learning.

Community         QEMA will pursue appropriate community partnerships. The Board 
Partnerships      of Directors will represent the interest of the people it serves, through 
                  public education and public policy advocacy. The Board will 
                  encourage its members, staff and volunteers to participate in the 
                  public affairs of the community.

Adequate          The Board will provide equality of access to information about the 
Promotion	  museum’s collections, services and programs through adequate 
                  promotion. QEMA will allow sufficient time to effectively promote 
                  its exhibits and programs. The museum will budget money for 
                  publicity as required. The museum will strive to keep the public 
                  informed of its programs and exhibits. QEMA will also work with 
                  the school board to inform them of any exhibits or programs that 
                  are of interest and meet the needs of the school boards. 

Equal Access      The Board of Directors is committed to providing equal access to all 
                  members of the community, both physically and intellectually, to the 
                  museum’s collections information, services and programs. 	

Date              August 19, 2008
Approved
Amended           August 20, 2008

Policy Review
Method            Internal Report
Responsibility    QEMA’s Board of Directors
Minimum Frequency Every four years

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