If you were asked to picture a museum, what comes to mind? Many of us might think of beautiful buildings housing important artefacts and items from a particular culture or point in time, but what makes a museum, especially when the term seems to be used more liberally these days? In conjunction with International Museum Day, which is celebrated on the 18th of May every year, we speak to Simon Soon, a senior lecturer in art history from Universiti Malaya and Lee Yuen Thien, manager of the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum in Melaka, to get their perspectives on the role of museums in society, how museums in Malaysia have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the future holds for museums.

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