The establishment of the first library of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart - Rome branch, was made possible thanks to the book material made available by Father Agostino Gemelli in the years preceding 1960, to which was subsequently added the donation of a considerable estate of the then Rector from his personal library, together with important donations received from the Institute of Psychology of Milan and, over time, from private scholars who in large numbers have brought particularly valuable collections onto the shelves.
Thus, in 1961, the first nucleus of the Library was born, built in the Faculty building, which houses the Biological Institutes.

In 1962, work began on the construction of the Polyclinic, which was inaugurated in 1964 and which has since housed another section of the Library, supporting the Clinical Institutes.

In 1972 the heritage was further enriched, with the acquisition of all the periodicals and monographs owned by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Since the 1980s, the Library has invested in technological and electronic innovation; consequently the book heritage has been further enriched with modern research tools with the creation of its own Electronic Catalog (OPAC), membership of important repertoires such as the National Library Service (SBN) and the National Periodicals Archive (ACNP).

In 2000, the University Library and Documentation System of the Catholic University was established, which connects the libraries of all the locations, and which saw as its first initiative the adoption of a unified electronic catalogue: the University Catalogue. In those same years, new work tools were consolidated in the Library, thanks to the internet, the work of the librarian changed and the way in which one approached bibliographic research changed, consequently the paper and digital heritage coexisted. The direction is that of an increase in the monographic sector, i.e. updating of fundamental texts, to support basic teaching and consultation, while the supply of periodicals, especially electronic ones, has significantly increased. The pre-2000 bibliographic material, once entirely available on open shelves, has been progressively moved to an external warehouse which provides scans of the documents quickly or delivers the originals, upon request, for consultation.

In 2001, the Degree Course in Economics - of the Faculty of Milan - was inaugurated on the Rome campus. At the same time, the Library room began to be built, with an economic focus, enriched in 2003 by the donation received from the Cariplo Foundation, which will contribute to expanding the holdings of the new library inaugurated in 2004, initially located in the Faculty premises and moved,
in 2013, to the close-up of the Giovanni XXIII University Complex. To date, the holdings of these rooms have expanded with resources dedicated to the new degree courses in Medicine and surgery and in Pharmacy.

In 2004 it was connected to the Library, the bookshop owned by the Department of Bioethics, where there is also a reading and consultation space. On the services front, in 2004 our Library joined the NILDE (Network Interlibrary Document Exchance) project for the exchange of documents between libraries (Document Delivery).

In 2011 the book possession held by the Pastoral Center was catalogued, while in 2016 the book possession held by the Fertility Regulation Center was catalogued.

In 2018, during the renovation of the Polyclinic hall, the spaces and study places were remodeled to meet the different needs of the students, part of the paper material was transferred to the external storage.

In 2019, two possessions were connected to our bibliographic heritage, respectively, the Fertility Regulation Center, and the donation received from Prof. Emmanuele Emanuele, characterized by a heritage of art texts ranging from exhibition catalogs and monographic volumes , also located in the Francesco Vito room. where there is also a reading and consultation space.

In 2023, following the change of management, a general renovation project of the services and spaces was undertaken.

In 2024, modernization work was carried out on the Francesco Vito Hall, resulting in an increase in available seating to a total of 172.
At the same time, a project to revamp our website was launched, aiming to make information and services more accessible.
That same year also saw the launch of two cultural events—now in their third edition:
the "Scatti in biblioteca" photography contest and the "Scripta Volant" poetry competition—both of which enjoyed strong participation.