With a three-story “book robot,” community event space, 3D printing lab and genealogy research hub, Omaha’s new main library is one of the largest investments in a public library system in the United States in recent years. And it now has an opening date.
“Mark your calendars for opening day Sunday, April 19, 2026,” Omaha Mayor John Ewing announced Thursday.
The 96,000-square-foot building was filled with community members, city leaders and project partners in celebration of the library’s completed construction. Overlooking 72nd and Dodge streets, the hundreds of horizontal windows along the building’s exterior filled the space with light from the setting sun.
On the main level, floor-to-ceiling windows offered a glimpse of the Automated Storage and Retrieval System. The three-story, secured, climate-controlled “book robot” can store more than 600,000 materials. Library leaders say it will be used to grow the Omaha Public Library’s collection without being limited by shelf space in branches.
Omaha Public Library Executive Director Laura Marlane said she’s excited to see the public experience the space.
“I’m most excited to see the building come to life with people browsing through shelves of books, learning new technology, exploring the City Garden, and digging into their family histories,” Marlane said. “Everyone will be able to find their place here.”
The project was led by a partnership between the City of Omaha, OPL, Omaha Public Library Foundation, Do Space and Heritage Omaha, which oversaw fundraising and construction of the building and will officially gift the building to the city in the spring.
Heritage Omaha also helped form the nation’s first technology library, Do Space, at 72nd and Dodge streets more than 10 years ago. Do Space will be integrated into OPL at the beginning of 2026 and have a large presence on the second floor of Central Library upon the library’s opening.
“Environment is so important, and this one is an invitation to knowledge growth and community,” Ewing said. “The impact to a city as a whole, this investment in literacy, in digital equity, in community development and individual potential, cannot be overstated. I am in awe.”