Standards and Guidelines
Meeting professional standards greatly benefits your organization. It helps your credibility when you apply for grants and increases your standing in the eyes of visitors and other stakeholders. Currently, standards and guidelines exist for the practice of history in the areas below. Click through to learn more about them.
- Archaeology
Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation: http://www.cr.nps.gov/local-law/arch_stnds_0.htm
Society for American Archaeology's Principles of Archaeological Ethics: http://www.saa.org/AbouttheSociety/PrinciplesofArchaeologicalEthics/tabid/203/Default.aspx
- Archives
- Society of American Archivists' Standards Portal: http://www.archivists.org/standards
- Conservation and Preservation
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
- Digitization
- Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)/National Information Standards Organization (NISO) Framework for Building Good Digital Collections: http://framework.niso.org
- Genealogy
- Board Certification for Genealogists and the BCG Genealogical Standards Manual: http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.html
- Historical Societies and Museums
- Standards and Excellence Program (StEPs) of the American Association for State and Local History: http://aaslh.org/steps.htm
- Historic Preservation
- Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation: http://www.cr.nps.gov/local-law/arch_stnds_0.htm
- History Scholarship
- American Historical Association's Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct: http://www.historians.org/pubs/Free/ProfessionalStandards.cfm
- Museums
- American Association of Museums' Characteristics of Excellence for U.S. Museums: http://www.aam-us.org/aboutmuseums/standards/upload/Characteristics-of-Excellence-reg-and-pe.pdf
- Oral History
- Oral History Association's Principles and Best Practices: http://www.oralhistory.org/do-oral-history/principles-and-practices