The library, founded in the second half of the 18th century by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo, occupied until December, 1998 the structure created by Giorgio Vasari, a space used originally for the Medici family's theater. On December 16, 1998 the new library's headquarters were inaugurated in the restored edifice of the former Biblioteca Magliabechiana in via dei Castellani. In addition to its role as the library associated with the most important Florentine museums (documented by numerous inventories in manuscript of the collections), it has also become the library of the Soprintendenza per I Beni Artistici e Storici. Its focus of specialization is, naturally, in the field of art history, supporting the mission of museum studies and documentation in the relevant scholarly fields.
The library is composed of ca. 74,000 titles. Included in this number are 450 manuscripts, 5 incunabula, 192 16th century imprints, 1,445 titles printed between 1601 and 1800, 1,010 periodicals, of which 140 are currently received.