In 1977, in order to promote the healthy development of the global museum cause and to attract the public's understanding, participation and attention to the museum cause, the International Association of Museums announced to the world that May 18, 1977, was the first International Museum Day, and each year for the International Museum Day activity theme.
On this day, museums around the world will hold various publicity and commemorative activities to celebrate their own festivals, let more people know about museums, and better play the social function of museums.
In 2021, the theme of International Museum Day is "The Future of Museums: Restoration and Remaking".
Around the fifth century BC, the temple of Telphi Olympius in Greece contained a treasure house of various sculptures and trophies, which is regarded by the museum world as the beginning of the museum.
For a long time afterward, the museum was only a collection room for royalty or a few rich people to look at exotic objects.
By the end of the 18th century, museums in some Western European countries had been established and opened to the public one after another, leading to new developments in the functions of museums and changes in people's understanding of museums.
In 1880, the British museum scholar Lukins published a paper entitled "The Functions of Museums", emphasizing that museums should be places for the general public to receive education.
In his two essays, Museum of the Future and Principles of Museum Administration, American scholar John Goody further emphasizes that museums must be committed to reforming education and carrying out active activities, so that they will not only become places for experts and scholars to conduct research, but also become supplementary facilities for educational institutions and garden for off-campus teaching.
In November 1946, the International Association of Museums was founded in Paris, France.
In June 1974, the International Association of Museums held its 11th Conference in Copenhagen and defined museum as "an open and permanent institution that does not pursue profit and serves the society and social development.
It takes as its fundamental duty the collection, preservation and research of evidence about man and his environment for display, public display, and opportunity for learning, education, and appreciation."
In 1971, the International Association of Museums held a conference in France. In view of the development of today's world, the relationship between the cultural and educational functions of museums and the future of mankind was discussed.
In 1977, the International Association of Museums announced to the world that May 18, 1977 was the first International Museum Day in order to promote the healthy development of the global museum cause and to attract the public's understanding, participation and attention to the museum cause, and to determine the theme for the International Museum Day each year.