The museum's extensive collections encompass natural science specimens and humanities artifacts from the Otago region and around the world, which are featured in its long-term gallery displays.

A notable feature of the museum is its interactive science center, which includes an immersive tropical rainforest butterfly house.

"[1] The name "Otago Museum" was first used by James Hector to describe his geological collections on display at the 1865 New Zealand Exhibition, held in Dunedin.

[2] This arrangement lasted until 1955 when a new governance structure was established by the passing of the Otago Museum Trust Board Act.

Another new wing, named for benefactor Willi Fels was opened in 1930 and today houses the People of the World and Tangata Whenua galleries.

With all of these separate developments, the museum had grown to several times its original floor area, resulting in a complex layout of multiple internally connected wings.

A multi-stage redevelopment project in the 1990s and 2000s largely resolved this, with the addition of architect Ted McCoy's spectacular integrating central Atrium.

[12] Wide-ranging collections of pottery, jewellery, costume, glassware, clocks, furniture, stamps, guns, cameras, and stone tools are also held.

He escaped, but was taken into police custody eight days later, and would later reveal the BSA .22 bolt action rifle used, along with its spent cartridge, in a toilet on the fifth floor of the nearby Adams Building.

Hutton supervised the design of the original building on the Great King Street site and began to assemble a significant natural history collection.

During his tenure (1880–1897) he organised the natural history specimens along Darwinian lines and articulated many of the skeletons still on display in the Animal Attic.

The humanities collection was started during Parker's time, prompted by the donation of an ancient Egyptian mummy by Bendix Hallenstein.

Shimrath Paul was appointed director in 1995, after joining the team in 1990 to set up the museum's interactive science centre (Discovery World).

[23] His other previous roles have included Director of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England; Head of Office of Public Outreach and Director NASA Origins Education Forum Space Telescope Science Institute; and CEO of the Auckland Observatory and Planetarium Trust.

[26] Thousands of school students visit the Otago Museum every year for curriculum-based programmes relating to galleries or exhibitions.

A wide range of community programmes and events that complement the exhibitions and galleries are also organised by the Otago Museum.

Offerings, which are often free, include family fun days, workshops, guest speakers, film screenings, children's activities and daily gallery talks.

[1] The museum has a range of spaces that are regularly hired for conferences, meetings, dinners, receptions, balls and cocktail parties.