National Library of Namibia
The National Library of Namibia (NLN) is the legal deposit and copyright library for Namibia. The library is situated in Windhoek. History. The institution was established in the Tintenpalast building as the "Legislative Assembly Library" of South West Africa in 1926. Items from the "Bibliothek des Kaiserlichen Gouvernements" () from the time of Imperial German colonisation were incorporated and formed the core of the initial collection. It was renamed "South West Africa Administration Library" in 1957. In 1960, responsibility for the library shifted from the Parliament of South Africa to the government, and the library now fell  under the Ministry of Education. In 1965 it opened to the public. In 1984 the library moved to the "Estorff House" nearby and was renamed "Estorff Reference Library". After Namibian independence in 1990 the library was administered by the Government of Namibia, and on 1 April 1994 became the National Library of Namibia. On 20 March 2000, the eve of the 10th independence celebrations, the library moved into its current building in Eugène Marais Street in downtown Windhoek. Mandate. The National Library acts as the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) agency National Library