Mission Statements -- The Smithsonian

I have review a few mission statements, and while I have found all of them to be informative, the one that I found to be the most accessible (meaning can be understood easily) is the Smithsonian's Mission Statement. For the record this is the mission statement of the Smithsonian as a whole, rather than any individual institution. Below I have posted two screen shots of the mission statement.  If you would rather look at the webpage itself, it here is a link.

What I really love about this mission statement, is that it distills what is certainly a complex ideal,  down into several, basic, bullet points. With one glance, an individual can get a pretty good understanding of the museum and its goals. There are links to more detailed statements/policies, but the basis of it, is right there.

Now perhaps part of the reason why this mission statement can be so simple, is that the statement needs encompass the varies institutions that make up the Smithsonian. They really don't need to get bogged down by the minutia when the individualized mission statement of each Smithsonian institution/museum can do that. However I think the formula can be applied to any mission statement, regardless of the complexibility of it. Mission statements are important, they set the tone for what a museum will/wants to accomplish, but they need to be easily referenced and referred to by anyone. I think that this is a good compromise. The main idea of it is there, and if you want to know all the nitty gritty details, you can.