THE County Museum in Jocelyn Street is working towards getting accreditation which will help it gain more national and international exhibitions, curator Brian Walsh told members of Dundalk Town Council last week.

He outlined the steps which are being taken so that the museum can meet the Heritage Council's Museum Standards Programme for Ireland which he likened to the IS09000 accreditation for industry. There were 34 standards to be met, 25 of which will give interim accreditation with the further nine bringing full accreditation.

The accreditation will increase the degree of professionalism in the museum, would enhance their ability to get funding, and make it easier to attract international exhibitions. It would also provide a psychological boost for those working in the museum as they would be seen to be providing a more professional service, he said.

Other museums who are seeking the accreditation are the National Museum of Ireland, Irish Museum of Modern Art, the GAA Museum and Millmount Museum in Drogheda.

The standards which they have to meet include how they deal with acquisitions, how they dispose of items, maintenance, security, and cataloguing.

They had set out goals to be reached including the provision of a website and the guided tours which had taken place last year.

The museum is 'a very friendly and interesting place to visit,' said Cllr Jim D'Arcy while Cllr Mark Dearey described it as 'the jewel in the crown for the town' and a great tourist attraction.

Cllr Jim Ryan said he had been surprised at the findings of a survey which revealed that a lot of people had the perception that museums catered for an educated middle class elite.

'I would have thought that the museum would be attractive to everyone.'

Mr Walshe said that once people visited the museum they love it as the building and installations are 'beautiful'.

He said that they worked hard to dispel the myth that people needed three or four PhDs to visit a museum. 'It's the story of us and our families,' he said.

Cllr Ryan was told that there are around 34,000 artifacts in the museum, of which 20% would be on display at any time.