The Lapworth Museum is free to visit; its galleries are aimed at a broad range of audiences, from families and children to undergraduate students and specialist geology groups. The galleries use the Lapworth's collections to tell the story of the evolution of life and the planet over 4.5 billion years of Earth's history, with a particular focus on how the environment, climate, plants, and animals of the English Midlands have changed over time. The Lapworth's collection includes more than 250,000 specimens of fossils, rocks and minerals that are of international scientific significance, as well as an important archive that documents key scientific discoveries and historical geologists. The Lapworth was one of five UK museums shortlisted for the Art Fund Museum of the Year Award in 2017.