News

In the second half of August (20-28.08.22), there was held the 26th General Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) - i.e. the world's largest organization of museums, museum professionals, with more than 40,000 members - in Prague. One of the most important topics of the conference was - preceded by discussion – the adoption of a new museum definition.

The museum professionals community around the world watched attentively the progress of the conference, wherein over 600 lectures, discussions panels and debates participated by about 1000 speakers and more than 3 500 registered participants from 123 countries, including Poland, took place.

The amended definition, approved by the ICOM Extraordinary General Assembly, reads:
“A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing.”

In Poland, works are pending to amend the present museum act, including a new museum definition.