GHM Participating in STEPs
STEPS is the American Association for State and Local History’s (AASLH) self-study, self-paced assessment program designed specifically for small- to mid-sized history organizations. Through a workbook, online resources, and an online community, organizations enrolled in STEPS review their policies and practices and benchmark themselves against national museum standards.
The Geneva History Museum participated in STEPs from 2015-2018 and was chosen as the STEPs Spotlight by AASLH. During that time period GHM earned the following ratings in each of the STEPs categories:
Mission/Vision/Governance – Bronze, 2015: Bylaws, policies, environmental sustainability, Ethics, financial management, transparency, fundraising, Governing authority, inclusion/equity, mission, vision, values, hiring, compensation, evaluation, planning, support groups, technology, volunteers
Audience – Silver, 2015: Accessibility, accountability, environmental sustainability, marketing/PR/ physical and intellectual access, technology, visitor experience, visitor services, visitor studies
Interpretation – Gold, 2016: Accessibility, public trust, inclusion/equity, interpretation content and delivery, interpretive planning, research, shared authority, support for staff/volunteers, technology
Stewardship of Collections – Bronze, 2017: Collections and mission, collections care and preservation, collections management, conservation planning, deaccessioning and disposal, digital collections, financial resources for collections, incoming/outgoing loans, institutional archives, research, safety/security, staffing, storage, technology
Management – Bronze, 2017: Compliance with laws, emergency disaster preparedness response and recovery plan, ethics and public trust, facility care, fundraising, records management, personnel hiring, compensation, technology, visitor amenities, volunteers
Stewardship of Historic Structures and Landscape – N/A
GHM staff and board members meet each month to conduct the self-assessment. Each STEP is full of questions about museum practices with ratings of Basic, Better and Good. Participants discuss which level the museum meets and rates each question. Notes are taken to list areas that require additional work to help reach the highest rating of Good. When all the answers to the questions reach the same rating level, GHM can apply for a STEPs certificate. The goal of this exercise is to improve each of the ratings GHM achieved in 2015-2018. Watch for updates on our progress.