Nebraska
Library Commission History
The Nebraska Public Library Commission was established by an act of the
Legislature on March 27, 1901, and the office of the Commission was opened in
the State Capitol on November 11 of that year. The Commission was charged to
"encourage the establishment of libraries where none existed and the
improvement of those already established. "
In 1933, due to economic hardships,
the Legislature passed a bill abolishing the Library Commission and
establishing in its place the Nebraska Public Library. It was relocated to the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln where the University Librarian served as Public
Library Commissioner.
The Nebraska Public Library Commission was
re-established by law in 1935 and moved to an office in the new Capitol
Building. In 1952 the Commission was designated by the Library of Congress as
the official distribution center for the Books for the Blind program. In 1972
the Nebraska Public Library Commission assumed its present identity as the
Nebraska Library Commission.
The Nebraska Library Commission Archives, located at the Nebraska Library Commission, houses materials about the
history and operations of the Commission and the libraries it has served since
the agency 's creation in 1901. The collection includes Commission biennial
and annual reports, newsletters, documents, photographs and artifacts.
Some of these materials have been
digitized. Others are available for research use onsite.