The Library of the University of Amsterdam includes all the faculty and other partial libraries of the university itself, the libraries of the Academisch Medisch Centrum (University Medical Centre) and the Academisch Centrum Tandheelkunde Amsterdam (University Dentistry Centre Amsterdam). All these libraries have a common mission: to cooperate closely and complement each other. The University Library provides access to electronic information on the web and makes printed information available at its various locations.

The University Library’s responsibilities and pursuit of cohesion and cooperation are set out in the Mission Statement. New services are most often developed in projects. The University Library also works closely with other scientific libraries and organizations, in and outside the Netherlands, in providing scholarly information.

The library was founded in 1578 when the books and manuscripts of Roman Catholic religious institutions in Amsterdam were amalgamated to form a Municipal Library. The institutions themselves came under control of the municipality.

The Vereniging van Vrienden van de Universiteitsbibliotheek (Association of Friends of the University Library) promotes public interest in the library and offers financial support for the purchase of special editions.