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How do general museums differ from specialized museums?

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Gallery room at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, with framed portraits and group paintings on the walls and a bench in the center of the wood floor. — museum Interior of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

General museums and specialized museums are primarily distinguished by the nature and scope of their collections.1

General Museums

General museums, often called multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary, maintain collections across multiple subjects. Many originated from private collections reflecting an encyclopaedic spirit, while others focus on representing the natural and human history, traditions, and creative spirit of a specific region or locality. Because they manage a wide variety of materials, these institutions often face significant challenges regarding the high costs of employing the diverse specialists required to maintain their research programs and collections.2

Specialized Museums

In contrast, specialized museums focus their collections on a particular field or theme. While the classification of museums is not rigid, specialized institutions are often categorized by their specific subject matter, such as natural history, science and technology, history, or art. Some specialized museums are also defined by their target audience, such as children’s museums or those designed for specific scholarly or adult groups.21