Search these finding aids
for government records.
Maps,, a sample of the more
than 3000 flat maps in the library collection.
Search this website for all Historical Society records
and government records finding aids.
Public records are the records of government. They are created
or received at all levels, from the smallest village to the largest
federal agency. They are public because public funds support
their creation and use. They are public records no matter what
their format. They are open for inspection by anyone, unless
closed by law.
Public records document the transaction of business both
within the government, and between the government and the public.
They are important because they hold the government accountable
and give it its authority to operate. These records also protect
the rights and entitlements of the people. Archives exist to
protect these records for posterity.
The Nebraska legislature designated the Historical Society
as official custodian of all state and local public records of
historical value in 1905. The Society received the designation
of state archives in 1969. The archives stores about 20,000 cubic
feet of paper records and close to 100,000 rolls of microfilm.
The records date from 1854 to the present and are available for
research in the Library/Archives reference room.
Access a keyword searchable collection of digitized historic
reports of Nebraska constitutional officers and state agencies.
The Nebraska
Public Documents web site, launched in October 2007,
includes reports from 1891 to 1929.
This Public Records Transfer
Form (MS Word) will guide public agencies in how to transfer
their public records to the Nebraska State Archives. Public Records Transfer form (PDF)
Location and
Contact information for Government Records, K Street
Facility in Lincoln, Nebraska. Find more information on archives
holdings or to order a search for a specific record.
Fees for Government Records
Retrieval for government agencies
Government Records Microfilm Policies
for government agencies
(For NSHS internal staff use only) Reference
Request Form