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The Library is open to members of the public on weekdays all year round, except for the month of August and certain public holidays; the opening hours are 9.00 - 19.30 (Mondays to Fridays).

On June 21st 2003 the Senate Library opened its doors to the public in its new location in the ancient palace of Piazza della Minerva, in the heart of Rome, behind the Pantheon.

In the development of its collections the Library carries a dual character: first and foremost relating to the legislative activity as a branch of the Italian Parliament, but also mirroring its long history. Its rich collections of printed books and other classes of material constitute a major cultural resource. In recent years, its value to scholars has been greatly enhanced by the introduction of various types of digital resources, by the expansion of reference services, and by extending open access to publications on a wide range of specialist topics.

Currently, the Library holds a collection of about 750.000 volumes, about 3.000 periodical titles and 600 Italian and foreign newspapers, the most important collection of Statutes of Italian Comuni and other bodies from the late Middle Ages up to modern times, ancient editions of civil and canon law, one of the richest collections of nineteenth-century periodicals and much more.

The Senate Library develops its collections primarily in the fields of Law and History of Law, History, Italian Local History, Political Sciences, History of Media and Journalism, Parliamentary Documentation. 

Since 2007 the Library has, together with the Library of the Chamber of Deputies, been part of the Joint Parliamentary Library (Polo Bibliotecario Parlamentare) which houses over 2 million books.