In essence,collecting and researching are at the core of the museum, which is responsible for collecting examples of the local culture and natural samples of the evolution of Yilan, as well as establishing a research database. The museum also holds exhibitions, has educational activities and publishes a variety of professional books, making it an educational venue for Yilan.

The Lanyang Museum is a medium-sized local museum. The collection criteria is urgency, exhibition appropriateness, educational necessity, and expanding the interactive relationship with other local museums. The objective is to introduce every aspect of the lives and the surrounding environment of the Yilan County Citizens some of which include lifestyle, industry, folk customs and folk memories.

The museum’s collections are mainly cultural folk relics and prehistoric relics; photos, slides, pictures, sounds, paintings, literature, archives and field records are also collected to facilitate the preservation, maintenance, research and exhibition. The local folk relics and the prehistoric cultural relics comprise approximately 4,000 items and 1.4 million items respectively. In order to provide a convenient service, a cultural relic collection management system will be established.

In terms of research, the museum conducts a systematic investigation and study of Yilan’s local culture, humanity and natural resources. Furthermore, academic interchanges are developed to create a diverse research center in Yilan, thereby enriching the content of the museum and achieving the goal of the museum’s advancement. The ultimate objective is to enhance the vision and academic authority of the museum.

In order to improve the museum’s educational resources, it has purchased and collected museum-related books and periodicals, enabling it to provide information searches and book loan services. Books such as the Lanyang Museum Series, Lanyang Museum Collections and Lanyang Museum Research are published as learning resources for in-depth understanding of Yilan . In accordance with the museum’s goals of energy conservation and carbon reduction, the museum’s quarterly publication was changed to an e-paper published monthlyin the form of short essays.