The state archives section of the Library/Archives works closely with county government in the state. Counties produce records that affect the lives of its citizens directly. Marriages and divorces, taxes, elections, civil and criminal suits, naturalization proceedings, property ownership, county board decisions, and education all have impact and occur at the county level. Most of these records need to be kept permanently, but there are not always sufficient resources at the county level to fulfill this obligation. As a result these records are at risk of destruction.

The State Archives and the Records Management Division work with counties to find the best solution for their records-keeping problems. For a fee, staff from the Records Management Division will help a county identify those records that can be destroyed. This can often solve a storage problem. Another solution is to hire a microfilm service bureau to microfilm records. Many records can be destroyed once the microfilm passes inspection. Another security benefit is that the master copy of the microfilm is stored at the archives free of charge. A more common solution is to transfer non-active records to the archives.

The Library/Archives has records from many of the counties either on microfilm or in original paper form. These are important resources for family historians. They also provide evidence for county residents about taxes paid, social security or insurance entitlements for a spouse, property ownership, local ordinances, and many other situations. For more information on archives holdings or to order a search for a specific record, contact the Library Archives Reference Room at 402-471-4751 or e-mail gayla.koerting@nebraska.gov

Finding Aids for County Records  (requires Acrobat Reader)

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