After the church, the library ranks second in importance among the rooms of a Benedictine monastery.
The artistically valuable furnishings testify to the monks' appreciation for their library. Paul Troger's ceiling fresco (1731/32), in contrast to the secular scenery of the Marble Hall, depicts a symbolic representation of faith. At its center is a female figure, the allegory of faith.
She is surrounded by four groups of angels, representing the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The four wooden sculptures represent the four faculties: theology, philosophy, medicine, and jurisprudence.
The Melk Abbey Library today comprises 1,888 manuscripts, 750 incunabula (early prints dating back to 1500), 1,700 works from the 16th century, 4,500 from the 17th century, and 18,000 from the 18th century, comprising approximately 100,000 volumes, including more recent books. The large library room contains approximately 16,000 books. They are arranged by subject: Bible editions on shelf I, theology on shelves II to VII, jurisprudence on shelf VIII, geography and astronomy on shelf VIIII, history on shelves X to XV, and Baroque encyclopedias on shelf XVI.