Together with the Museum, the Theatre Studies Library was opened in 1953 in the House of Carlo Goldoni. Its core collection included theatrical works from the Museo Correr, some autograph works by Goldoni, the Vendramin Archive (rich in material regarding the history of theatre in Venice, and the work of Goldoni at the Teatro di San Luca in particular) and the extensive collections of theatrical material put together by Edgardo Maddalena and Cesare Musatti.
Subsequent additions included the acquisition of the extraordinary personal library of Giuseppe Ortolani, the first curator of the institute, which was especially rich in rare 18th century texts. Further acquisitions and donations have continued up to the present day.
With its 30,000 works on the theatrical arts, this is now one of the main libraries specialising in this sector; and what makes it practically unique is that it contains not only extensive material relating to the theatre of Goldoni but also a whole range of works covering 18th century culture in general. The digitalisation of the catalogue began in 2001 as part of the SBN (National Library Service) project.