早期博物館注重物件，競相收藏稀世珍品，也只對貴族開放欣賞。現代博物館則將物件的關心轉移至人的身上，尤其是參觀者。博物館不但希望大量民眾入館參觀，還希望他們能有所收獲，於是加強各項服務。在各項服務項目中，民眾最能感受到的或接觸到的就是導覽服務。導覽工作則是將物件和參觀者加以連接，使民眾熟悉博物館收藏的文物，因此，對於博物館收藏品多一點認識，日後也會多一點關心，也會想要對文物多一點愛護。導覽員像是一座橋樑，將民眾與博物館藏品搭起友誼的橋樑，相互不再陌生，甚至激起燦爛火花。

In the early days, museums paid more attention on precious objects and devoted themselves to the collections of rare treasures. Moreover, the museums were only open to the aristocrats. Nowadays, however, their attentions have shifted to humans, especially visitors. Museums not only wholeheartedly welcome the increase of public access, but also hope that visitors can gain something from their participations. Thereby, these institutions expand and strengthen different kinds of services to accommodate the needs of the general public. Among the various services, tour guide service is the very one that visitors can directly feel and contact. The principle of tour guide service is to connect the objects with visitors to improve their understanding in museum collections. Consequently, the general public can learn more about the preservation and conservation of museum collections as well as cherish them in the following days. Docents take the responsibilities to deliver the services and bridge up the friendships between visitors and museum collections.