The American Alliance of Museums created this toolkit to guide you toward the resources you need to be successful in revising or drafting your museum’s core documents. The toolkit includes a combination of tools, guidelines, and action plans to help you understand the importance of—and required elements for— each of the five documents required for Core Documents Verification.

This toolkit describes what each document is, why it is important, the required elements, when and how it should be updated, as well as the "anatomy" of that document (how it should flow), and common pitfalls associated with each. We also provide sample outlines, exercises, and resources.

To make the most of this toolkit, use the Action Plan section to capture notes and next steps. We encourage you to begin by reviewing all core documents at the same time, and subsequently prioritize the oldest and/or those that need the most work. And remember, changes to one document may require changes in others.