The public fundraising campaign is now underway for Lincoln’s new Central Public Library, with city leaders inviting residents to help fund and shape what they call the city’s next major civic landmark. At a news conference Wednesday, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird joined library and community leaders to officially launch the campaign for the new library at 11th and O Street.
“Everyone can be a part of building this important legacy,” Gaylor Baird says. “With today’s launch of the community campaign, we all have the opportunity to write an exciting new chapter in Lincoln’s story by building a 21st century library for generations to come.”
The $58.8 million project will be funded through a combination of city bonds, other municipal funds, and private donations. Gaylor Baird says$21.3 million has already been pledged toward the campaign’s $26.5 million private fundraising goal.
Lincoln City Libraries Director Ryan Wieber unveiled updated renderings of the facility and said interior demolition is expected to begin later this summer. The library is scheduled to open in the summer of 2028.
Plans for the new library include flexible community gathering spaces, youth activity areas, a makerspace, teaching kitchen, seed library, rooftop auditorium, digital learning areas, and a café. The city purchased the former Education Square building in 2025 to replace the aging Bennett Martin Public Library, which opened in 1962.
Officials say the new facility will also feature access to an attached city-owned parking garage with more than 1,000 parking spaces. The community is invited to a fundraising launch event from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at the Lincoln Community Foundation Barbara Bartle Garden, 1421 “N” St.
