Location of the NWG Member Works Archives
Published/ Performed Works of NWG Members are housed at:
Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors
Lincoln City Libraries
136 South 14th Street
Lincoln, NE 68508-1899
(402) 441-8516
Contact: Meredith McGowan, Curator, heritage@lincolnlibraries.org
Information on the Heritage Room
From one shelf of published books by Nebraska authors in 1949, the Heritage Room on the third floor of the Bennett Martin Public Library has grown to a collection of over 13,000 books, as well as files, photographs, audio and video cassettes, DVDs, compact discs, original manuscripts, periodicals, art work and other memorabilia reflecting Nebraska’s rich literary tradition.
The mission of the Heritage Room is to preserve and promote works by and about Nebraska Authors, past and present. The preservation, maintenance, and monitoring of the collection and services are supported by the Nebraska Literary Heritage Association.
The Nebraska Writers Guild is a dues-paying member of the NLHA.
The Heritage Room defines a Nebraska Author as a writer who
1) was born in Nebraska,
2) lived ten or more years in Nebraska,
3) made major artistic contributions to the state of Nebraska.
More information on current displays and activities can be seen at the website:
http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/hr
About the Collection
The works in the Heritage Room do not check-out, but can be accessed on-site during the hours of operation:
Tuesday – Friday 12-3pm
Sunday 2-5pm
Also available in the Heritage Room is the Nebraska Author Information Link (NAIL), a computerized database with over 3400 entries of biographical and bibliographical information, and information files on over 2,000 Nebraska authors.
The Lincoln City Libraries catalog can be accessed on-line at:
www.lincolnlibraries.org
Click on “Full Catalog” to search the collection.
Process for Donation
Donations to the collection are limited to:
- Standard published books (where author has not financed any part)
- Standard published stage plays or screenplays or produced or award winning scripts
- Recorded interviews or videotapes of author readings
Items that will not be collected are self-published works, electronic or audio versions, textbooks or newsprint items.
Please note: Due to limited space, the final decision for inclusion in the collection will be at the discretion of the Heritage Room staff. Sometimes only representative work of a prolific writer will be considered.
Members of the NWG are asked to take the following steps to submit works for consideration:
- MANDATORY: Print and complete the official “Certificate of Gift” form which can be downloaded at www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/hr
- Scroll down the box on the left side of the page to “Heritage Room Links.”
- Click on “Contact, Support or Donate Items.”
- Under “Donate Books or Papers to the Heritage Room,” click on “Certificate of Gift” and print.
- Send this form and the work to be considered to the current NWG Historian or the presiding NWG President, who will deliver member works to the Heritage Room in August or September of odd years (just before election of new officers).
- Note: The copy of the work becomes the property of the Heritage Room for preservation, use or disposal as the staff sees fit. The author or author’s estate retains copyright per U. S. Copyright law and copying or reproduction of portions of any material will be strictly monitored by the staff according to the “Fair Use” practices.
More extensive author data may also be found in the NWG Archives at the Nebraska State Historical Society.
