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Why can it be difficult for general museums to care for many different kinds of collections?

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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, which hold multidisciplinary collections, face significant challenges in caring for their holdings due to the high costs associated with employing the large number of specialists required to manage such a diverse range of materials.1

Maintaining these collections is complex because many objects are inherently unstable and undergo chemical or structural changes as they age. To delay this natural deterioration, museums must carefully control environmental factors such as temperature, light, and humidity, as well as biological threats. Because these items often come from different origins and environments, they may require specialized, immediate treatment—such as stabilization for archaeological finds—to prevent further damage.2

Furthermore, many general museums originated from private collections or an "encyclopaedic" philosophy, leading to heterogeneous holdings that were often accumulated based on the whims of past curators rather than long-term planning. Consequently, these institutions must balance the high costs of maintaining and researching these varied collections against their available resources and their specific role within the community.31