The history of the V. Korolenko Kharkiv State Scientific Library dates back to 1830, when the Kharkiv Provincial Public Library was founded. It was established thanks to donations and the support of patrons. By 1834, the collection comprised 846 volumes.

In 1886, the Kharkiv Public Library was established; it was originally located in a wing of the City Council building on Nikolayevskaya Square.

Between 1899 and 1901, a new Neo-Renaissance building was constructed for the library (current address: Korolenka Lane, 18) based on a design by architect Oleksiy Beketov. He was a member of the library’s board of directors and was awarded the title of Academician of Architecture for his work. Architects V. Velichko, V. Krichevsky, and O. Jacobs also participated in the project. Although the building itself is two stories high (with a basement), the old book depository has nine levels. For fire safety, the book depository was constructed using metal trusses designed by A. Komarov, similar to the Strasbourg Library.

In 1902, a music section was established at the library, and in 1903, a library science section (both initiatives were spearheaded by L. Khavkina). Also in 1903, the Yudaica section of Jewish literature was opened.

In 1905, the library participated in the World’s Fair in Liège and received an honorary diploma. Lyubov Khavkina was awarded a gold medal for her book *Libraries, Their Organization, and Technology*.

In 1906, on the initiative of Dmytro Bahalii, a Ukrainian section was established at the library, which collected works by Ukrainian writers and volumes on Ukrainian regional studies, history, and culture, and engaged in scholarly research. The library’s Ukrainian Commission included M. Mikhnovsky, D. Bagaley, K. Alchevska, G. Hotkevych, and others. In 1910, the department was named after T. Shevchenko.

In 1922, the library was named after the writer V. Korolenko; in 1930, it was designated a research library.

During the German occupation from 1941 to 1943, the library was looted and lost 600,000 volumes. The building was partially destroyed.

In 1986, the library building was renovated under the direction of architect I. Malakova.

The library currently has 12 reading rooms with a total of 524 seats. The collection comprises 7,206,942 volumes.

On March 12, 2022, the library building was damaged by a Russian missile strike.