It serves the Ghent University community of students and scholarly researchers.

In 1942, the Book Tower (Boekentoren) was opened, located next to the Blandijn, which houses the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.

Designed by Henry van de Velde, it has since been the chief architectural feature of the library.

The library has evolved in recent years, focusing on decentralization and networking rather than a central facility.

A range of electronic resources are available within the UGent network as part of a digital library.