The Philharmonic Library was originally established as a music library of the Court Orchestra, founded in 1882 by the initiative of Emperor Alexander III.
The library’s modern state (a repository of books and music scores, a reading room, a subscription) owes a great deal to the existence of the Petrograd Philharmonic (on the basis of the Court Orchestra) 

The collection of the Library has more than 400 000 items in stock today. These include orchestral scores, instrumental ensembles, opera and piano scores, instrumental and vocal literature, books on the history and theory of music in Russian and other foreign languages, handbooks and textbooks.
The collection of concert posters and playbills from all the years of the Philharmonic's existence, as well as newspaper clippings and graphic materials are of particular value.
Over the past century, in addition to carrying out its direct responsibilities, the Library of the Philharmonic has acquired archival and museum significance, becoming the keeper of the musical and historical memory of St. Petersburg and Russia, as a whole.