City Announces Central Library Partnerships with KZUM, UNL

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird today announced two new partners scheduled to share space in the new Central Library, 1111 “O” St.: KZUM Community Radio and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. The Mayor made the announcement during her State of the City Address, hosted by Leadership Lincoln October 6, at the Marriott Cornhusker Hotel.

The City in 2025 selected The Mill Coffee & Tea of Lincoln as the vendor to operate the café within the facility. Leases are being prepared with each partner and are expected to be considered by the City Council in fall 2026.

“These partnerships will make the new Central Library an even richer center for learning and civic life,” Mayor Gaylor Baird said. “By joining Lincoln City Libraries, KZUM, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and The Mill under one roof, we are creating a dynamic destination that will offer new opportunities for community-building.”

KZUM Community Radio will move its broadcasting studio and offices from its current location at 3534 South 48th St. The station will provide occasional program and learning opportunities for patrons in the library’s public program rooms. KZUM’s 2,600 square feet area will be across the hall from the Polley Music Library at the southeast corner of the second floor, and both the Polley and KZUM will share the library’s podcast studio.

“Libraries and community radio open doors, spark curiosity, share stories, and connect people to the ideas, resources, and creativity all around them,” said Kerry Semrad, KZUM General Manager. “By moving KZUM into the new Central Library, we’re bringing our missions under one roof and strengthening the informational infrastructure and cultural connections that help our community thrive.”

KZUM’s broadcasting antenna and equipment will remain at the Terminal Building, 10th and “O” streets. KZUM is funding all buildout costs, and the station will have a separate entrance accessible after hours via the skywalk and skybridge that connect the library to the CenterPark Garage.

UNL will occupy 5,000 square feet in the southwest area of the second floor and store 400 linear feet of local history materials, periodicals, and microfilm. UNL employees will staff the space, with plans to continue and potentially broaden its reach within the community through exhibits, displays, archival work and oral history projects.

Liz Lorang, Dean of University Libraries said UNL is considering offering everything from books and original digital resources to archival exhibitions and a community archivist-in-residence.

“This special partnership with Lincoln City Libraries is a key piece in our library’s efforts to create the Nebraska Model for public research libraries. The Nebraska Model imagines connecting all Nebraskans to best-in-class information and recognizing our collective information wealth as a key indicator of quality of life in this state,” Dean Lorang said.

Katherine S. Ankerson, UNL Interim Chancellor, called UNL’s participation “a meaningful example of a land-grant university extending its resources and expertise beyond our campus.”

“By connecting the university’s research expertise, collections and scholars with Lincoln City Libraries and the community, we can create new opportunities for people to access knowledge and engage with the ideas shaping Nebraska’s future,” Chancellor Ankerson said.

The Mill Coffee & Tea’s 1,200 square foot space will be adjacent to the library near the northeast corner of 12th and “O” streets. The café will have its own entrance, retail space, outdoor patio with separate hours, and will offer an entryway to the library.

The City named Sampson Construction of Lincoln as the general contractor for the project in 2025. The library will include flexible community spaces, interactive areas for youth, a digital lounge, administrative offices, a teaching kitchen and seed library, a makerspace, a rooftop auditorium, quiet reading, and study and wellness spaces. The facility includes an attached, City-owned parking garage with 1,057 spaces and skywalk connections.

“Adding new resources and expertise through these partnerships strengthens the Central Library and what we offer the community,” Ryan Wieber, Director of Lincoln City Libraries said. “It opens up new possibilities for how people use the library and what they find when they come through the doors.”