The Museum of St Albans and Verulamium Museum have been accredited by the Museums Libraries & Archives Council (MLA) after achieving nationally agreed quality standards for UK museums.

The work by St Albans City and District Council to obtain MLA accreditation for both museums is part of a wider initiative to develop their regional and national reputation.

Verulamium Museum, just off St Michael’s Street in St Albans, has a significant Roman collection, including mosaics and pottery, which draws in visitors from across Hertfordshire and beyond.

The Museum of St Albans, in Hatfield Road, St Albans not only hosts exhibitions with local appeal such as Lost Rails of Hertfordshire, but has also attracted national attention with its recent Kubrick Exhibition, about the filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, who lived locally. This exhibition was praised in The Guardian newspaper on 8 June 2010 as being “a reminder that Britain’s local museums can be as interesting and inventive as their more celebrated national cousins”.

The MLA’s accreditation scheme helps ensure that museum collections are effectively managed for the benefit of communities. Accreditation means that both museums have met clearly defined standards relating to governance and management, services for users, visitor facilities and collections’ management.

The Council’s museum service is now building on this success by applying to the MLA’s Designation Scheme for the Roman collection at Verulamium Museum to be recognised as a pre-eminent collection of national and international importance.

Local councillor Allan Siao Ming Witherick, said: “When was the last time you took a look in one of our local museums?  They’ve worked hard to make exhibitions that appeal to all ages, and hold more than just a local interest.  Accreditation is a great achievement for the museum service and another feather in the cap!

A side product is that it will also help them to bid for external funding, for example from national bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund in order to improve the museum service even further for local residents and our cultural heritage as a whole.”

Andrew Motion, Chair of the MLA, said: “Being awarded accreditation is an impressive achievement. It recognises the high standard and service that both the Museum of St Albans and Verulamium Museum provide and acknowledges the hard work of the staff.”

The museums form a key part of St Albans’ cultural hub, which is being used to help promote the City as a regional and national attraction. The hub is made up of the Council-owned Alban Arena, the Old Town Hall and the Maltings Arts Theatre as well as other cultural venues and attractions in the City, such as St Albans Organ Museum.

You can find out more about St Albans museums at www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/