Founded at the same time as the National History Museum (1923), the Library is housed in the Fondaco dei Turchi and is intended to provide information for specialists and researchers.
The initial core collection came from the libraries and papers of certain renowned naturalists from the Veneto area (Giovanni Domenico Nardo 1802-1877, Nicolò Contarini 1780-1849, Giovanni Miani 1810-1872, Antonio Dondi dell’Orologio 1751-1801).
Purchases, donations and exchanges with leading national and international museums and scientific institutions have since added to the size of the collection.
The Library also houses a substantial collection of prestigious scientific journals, which makes it one of the main reference libraries for the natural sciences at both a national and international level.
There is also a teaching section for schools that provides laboratory and workshop activities.