The Public Library's collection has been created through the generosity of many gifts, from early through modern times. The first historical data about books collection in the town monasteries date from as far as the end of the 14h century. In 1867, Tomaso Catullo, a scientist, left some hundreds of volumes on general knowledge to the town. In 1872 Antonio Giampiccoli, a physician from Belluno, bequeathed his collection of pictures and books to the Civic Museum. Count Carlo Miari donated books, manuscripts and medals. The patrimony of the library has increased over the years through donations of scholars and other well-deserving people.

In 1887 Augusto Buzzati, eminent collector of local books, left hundreds of volumes on historical and literary subjects, thus completing the donation he had started in 1884. These funds were entrusted to the Civic Museum, which had a considerable library, set up and enlarged by its first keeper, don Francesco Pellegrini.

On 21st October 1933 the Municipal Library was established as an independent institution, under the supervision of the Bibliographical Office of Venice. At the same time, an act obliged publishers to deliver a copy of every book published in the province to the library (Legal Deposit Act) and it became part of the national interlibrary loan system. Further acquisitions enlarged the already considerable collection Among the books of the Cantilena collection the first edition of Giorgio Piloni's Historia (1607), Clemente's Miari chronicles and Lucio Doglini's works are worth mentioning.

In 1968 Laura Bentivoglio donated a collection of music manuscripts and printed volumes (417 documents)  formerly property of  musician Antonio Miari (1778-1854) including an interesting collection of autographs and prints of music of his time. In 1982 the library moved to its current premises in Palazzo Crepadona, one of the most prestigious building of the old town centre. The building has been completely restored and turned into a cultural centre.

The library is provided with large and comfortable reading rooms, reference rooms, a newspaper and periodical library and catalogues. It provides services and organizes cultural events consistently with its role of provincial library, with functions of preservation and public reading.

In 1989 the library acquired a valuable sixteenth-century edition of Epiphanius Sanctus. Contra octoginta hoerses opuspainted on the edge by Cesare Vecellio. The edition made part of the lost Piloni of Villa Casteldardo library.

In 1992 a bibliographic information system called UOL was set up. The system was devised by the Central National Library of Florence. The library is an active constituent of the public regional pole of SBN (National Library Service). Since 1993 it has developed the provincial library service, a network of 50 libraries, in co-operation with the Province of Belluno. 

Since 1996 it has been operating inter-library loans, to promote circulation of books from and to other Italian and international libraries, thus contributing to study and research.

In January 1997 the Children's library was established (for children and teens aged 0-14) with specific rooms, events and books. A special scientific and technical committee has been constituted to develop the sector. Great results have been obtained with the yearly joint work with the Committee on the International exhibition of children's book illustration of Sarmede (Treviso) which takes an important exhibition to Belluno every year and provides a number of special events focused on reading education.

In the same year an automatic catalogue of the fifteenth and sixteenth-century editions of music documents of the Miari Collection, property of the library was set up.

In 1998 the library acquired the donation of Giuliano Procacci, university professor and member of the Senate. It is a collection of more than 6.000 volumes on contemporary history, with particular reference to the colonial politics and the economic development of unified Italy, to the historiographical reading of the Fascist regime and to the main questions of the first decades of the Republican age. The donation includes a number of essays on the origin of political parties, and of the workers' movement in Italy, and on International politics. A special reading room is available for the reference of these documents.

In 1999 an Internet connection has been activated. The connection can be used to visit the web pages of the most important national and international libraries, to perform bibliographical researches. In the same year a catalogue of fifteenth and sixteenth century editions was completed.

In 2000 it published the seventeenth-century editions catalogue and acquired a volume, property of the Piloni Library, and containing Domizio Calderini's Commentarii in Martialem, a 1474 edition, and Commentarii in Ovidii Ibin, an edition dating to 1475, through a bailment agreement with the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di VR, VI, BL e AN.
In 2001, through the generous gift of Mrs Ester Riposi, the early fund was enriched with the precious cinquecentina by Cesare Vecellio, Habiti antichi e moderni di tutto il mondo (1598) and the library started providing new services, such as the reservation of books on loan and the home delivery of library cards to kids turning 6. It also improved the inter-library loan and bibliographical research services.

In 2002 significant donations increased the Historic Fund of the Library: Federico Velluti donated one hundred and seventy music manuscripts that had belonged to Giovanni Battista Velluti, soprano singer who lived between the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th, and Giorgio Maggioni gave to the Library two "cinquecentine": Marcus Tullius Cicero's "Rhetoricorum ad Herennium… Venice: Giovanni Maria Bonello, 1564" and Avicenna's "Index in Avicennae libros nuper Venetiis editos Iulio Palamede Adriensi Medico Authore. Avicennae Liber canonis. De medicinis cordialibus. Cantica. De removendis in regimine sanitatis. De syrupo acetoso. Andrea Alpago et Benedicto Rinio edita. Venice: Giunta, 1562"
In the same year a new service was started: a newsletter sent periodically by e-mail with information about the Library activities and new acquisitions. A web site dedicated to the Children Library was also launched.

In 2003 another gift of Giorgio Maggioni increased the Historic Fund: Giovanni Lodovico Quadri's "Tavole gnomoniche per delineare orologj a sole che mostrino l'ore conforme a quelle degli Orologi che suonano… Calcolate da Gio: Lodovico. Bologna : Lelio della Volpe, 1733" and Domenico Luchini's "Trattenimenti matematici i quali comprendono copiose tavole horarie per gli orologi a sole orizzontali, verticali e portatili per tutte l'altezze del polo, e per tutte le sorti d'hore …. Roma : Zenobi, 1730"
At the same time an sms service was introduced to send out information on the cultural events organised by the Library.

A further donation of a cinquecentina was received from Ms Ester Riposi. The historic fund of the library was increased by the precious and rare edition "Corona delle nobili et virtuose donne, libro primo-terzo nel quale si dimostra in varij disegni: tutte le sorti di mostre di punti tagliati, punti in aria, punti a reticello, et d’ogni altra sorte, così per freggi, come per merli & rosette, che con l’aco di usano hoggi per tutta l’Europa…[Segue libro quarto] Gioiello della corona per le nobili e virtuose donne… Venezia : Cesare Vecellio, 1591-1594"

A new multimedial library is being organized, to provide new services to the town.