The Literary Museum houses and administers the largest collection (dating back to 1750) of letters, manuscripts, photographs, paintings, illustrations and memorabilia in the field of Dutch literature. Under certain conditions, this material can be consulted by the public in the reading room. The extensive collection of newspaper cuttings with book reviews and interviews with writers is freely accessible here.

The Literary Museum is not only an institution administering archivae material, it is also a real museum. In 2010 the museum re-opend after a full scale renovation with three new exhibitions: the Pantheon, featuring one hundred of Holland's and Flanders' most important writers from the Middle Ages upto now. The children's books museum, which has drawn large audiences since it opened in 1994, has been completely renovated. And finally, the National Writers Portrait Gallery will be exhibited in a special museal setting. In addition to these three permanent exhibitions, the museum will also regularly put on temporary exhibitions.

The children’s book museum offers an extensive range of educational programmes for primary and secondary school pupils, students at teacher training colleges, university students studying Dutch, book-clubs and anyone else who is interested in Dutch literature.

Moreover, the Literary Museum is regularly involved in such publications as the Schrijversprentenboeken and the series Achter het Boek.