The Performing Arts Library, located in the basement of the Music and Speech Center (room D-004) houses approximately 95,000 items relating to the study and performance of music, theatre and dance; subscribes to over 175 periodicals; and provides online access to Oxford Music Online, Oxford Reference Online - Performing Arts, RILM, Naxos Performing Arts Library, Classical Performing Arts Library, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Play Index, MLA International Bibliography and other databases.  The collection includes over 6,000 CDs, 1,500 DVDs and VHS tapes, 46,000 musical scores, 24,000 books, 2,400 reference titles, about 400 items in Performing Arts Special Collections and over 387 journal titles.

The Performing Arts Library collection includes a solid foundation of western art music from all historic periods, complete editions of the works of major composers, scripts of standard theatre repertoire, as well as ever growing collections in the areas of theatre scripts, chamber music, including the John Mack Music Collection, operas, musicals, world music and Ohio musicians and performers.  Additional music, theatre and dance collections are housed in the University Libraries Special Collections and Archives, located in the Main Library.