The exhibition, titled "Flits Across the Stage'', features "theatrical ephemera'' - mostly theatre programmes - long a part of the library's McNab collection, but never before publicly displayed.
The programmes are mainly from the 20th century, but include some from the 19th century.
Reed rare books and special collections librarian Julian Smith was "delighted'' to bring some of this material to light.
"It gives an insight into an aspect of Dunedin's theatrical past, which has been lost, in a way.''
The exhibition traced Dunedin's "vibrant theatrical heritage'' from its thriving late nineteenth-century origins until the gradual demise of its Dunedin centrepiece, "His Majesty's Theatre'', in Crawford St, in the early 1970s.
Ephemera was a term for printed material originally produced to provide details about specific events, and intended for temporary use rather than long-term preservation.
The programmes provided a fuller picture of life at various times and many were for local productions.
But many featured visiting musicians, singers, theatre and dance troupes, and some programmes were linked to shows linked to wartime patriotic efforts.
The theatrical heritage exhibition runs until October 9.
