The Library of the Archiginnasio seeks to preserve, increase and promote the documentary patrimony gathered over the ages in the Palazzo of the Archiginnasio. The Library offers specialized information and research documentation and is involved in cultural promotion. Due to its historical importance and collections, the Archiginnasio is among the most important municipal libraries in Italy. A testimony to Bologna's culture, it has been considered a privileged place for the preservation of the city's memory since its foundation. Various sections are dedicated to the documentation of Bologna's culture through its antique and modern printed works, chronicles, maps, photographs, etc.
The Library houses a vast collection of antique and modern manuscripts and rare books considered to be indispensable source material for a wide range of cultural phenomena and the study of human sciences from a historical point of view. The principal bibliographic themes that are represented consist of the historical, philosophical, political, literary, artistic, biographical and bibliographic disciplines.