Achieving a perfect score of 50 / 50 is the highest standard of excellence in the museum industry and the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre (BCM&CC) is pleased to have obtained this score in a recent assessment by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Warden Twolan said, “We are entirely committed to providing a world class facility within the county borders. This independent review affirms that the County maintains the highest standards of excellence.”

While the fundamental commitment of the province focuses on preservation, interpretation and sustainability of material culture, the environment and role for community museums is evolving as they strive to find new ways to serve communities, fulfil their mandates and achieve the standards set forth by the province. CAO Coulter outlined, “This achievement is a testament to the leadership and the team within the Museum. They work hard and are dedicated to ensuring they deliver the highest quality of program and facility possible.”

A total of ten standards for community museums represent the minimum requirements for the operation of a good community museum. Each year community museums need to meet these standards as well as additional changing yearly requirements to qualify for Community Museum Operating Grant funding through the province.

In 2016-17, the Ministry focused on two standards: community and exhibition. In addition museums were also required to submit the following documents: social media plan, exhibit plan (3 year horizon) and exhibit schedule (3 year horizon).

These additional requirements are an important part of the evolving role of museums as social media becomes a main ingredient in community conversations and engagement. Exhibitions are becoming more interactive physically and socially as they strive to include stories from our past and more current history.