The State Library of Victoria has learned an expensive lesson with confirmation of low attendance at last year's Victor Hugo exhibition, the first ever paid show held there.

Les Miserables: From Page To Stage, was by the library's own admission its "largest most ambitious exhibition", but failed to meet audience targets despite great expense and effort put into acquiring and hosting the French national treasure.

Around 25,000 people attended the Victor Hugo exhibition. By comparison, the library's 2013 international exhibition Rome: Piranesi's vision, which did not charge an entry fee, attracted over 83,000 visitors.

"While we have no immediate plans to host another paid exhibition, decisions about admission charges are made on a case-by-case basis." said State Librarian Sue Roberts in a statement.

Library board president John Wiley said the exhibition was worth doing.

"The numbers were less than what we expected but we're proud and happy to have put on a fantastic exhibition," he said.

"It's brought in new audiences for the library and new relationships which will benefit the library for a long time. We're happy to have a go and try new things and expand the traditional definition of what a library does."

The library has not released the cost of the exhibition, saying those details are commercial in confidence. However it said the decision to charge entry was based on the substantial expense involved. Tickets to the exhibition were $15 for an adult and $42 for a family.

"The State Library made the decision to charge entry to this exhibition as part of the strategy to financially contribute to the associated costs with running a major world-first exhibition of this size and scale."

Hugo's original manuscript, loaned to library by the Bibliothèque nationale de France on its first voyage outside Europe was accompanied by a security guard, and a secure alarm-fitted case.

Fairfax Media understands the library hired extra staff for conservation of the manuscript along with the acquisition of historical artefacts, diplomatic negotiations, research trips and curation.

Les Miserables: From Page to Stage opened alongside the 2014 run of Cameron Mackintosh' Les Miserables musical in Melbourne, with the hopes the stage show would increase patronage to the library exhibition.