Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv was created as one of the biggest book collections of Ukraine by merging public, private and other libraries of Lviv and Western Ukraine nationalized by the Soviet authorities. It included collections of Shevchenko Scientific Society, People’s Home in Lviv, Ossolinski National Institute, a part of collections of the Stauropegial library museum, Prosvita Society, monasteries, national societies (Armenian, Jewish), private collections (whose owners were repressed by NKVD (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs)), etc. At the beginning, the institution functioned as Lviv Branch of the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the UkrSSR (Decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the UkrSSR “On organization of scientific institutions in the western regions of the UkrSSR” dated January 02, 1940).
Ossolineum building became the central building of the library. Former libraries of Baworowski, People’s Home and Shevchenko Scientific Society, were transformed accordingly into the Art Department (now the Research Institute for Library’s Art Resources), Department of Early Printed Books and Rare Objects (now the Department of Rare Books), and the Department of the Ukrainian Literature (now the Department of Ukrainian Studies).
Before the beginning of the World War II, the collection of the library counted around 2 million units. Famous bibliognosts and specialists of former Lviv libraries worked here, such as A. Gensiorskyi, M. Derkach, M. Shteliha. Such scientists as M. Vozniak, V. Doroshenko, Y. Polianskyi, K. Studynskyi, V. Shchurat, I. Krypiakevych played a significant role in the library organization. In summer 1940, a special department was established – the so-called special collection aimed at removal of Ukrainian and foreign books that were “ideologically hostile” for the Soviet authorities. A part of the removed books was destroyed by orders of the censorship authorities. This department was dissolved in 1991-1993, and books were returned to the main collection.
After occupation of Lviv by the German army, the occupying authorities liquidated Lviv Branch of the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the UkrSSR and created Staatsbibliothek Lemberg that included scientific libraries of Lviv (libraries of the University, Polytechnic Institute, Medical Institute, Pedagogical Library). The library was robbed during the whole period of the German occupation; in particular, the most dramatic loss was the theft of A. Durer’s original engravings (24 items). In 1954, this collection was sold at the auction. In 1944, the most valuable collection of books, manuscripts, early printed books (300 incunabula) and over two thousand of art pieces were moved out to Krakow. A part of the library collections, in particular the valuable collection of handwritten Ukrainian books that was found in Lower Silesia in 1946, was never returned to the library. Now, an essential part of archive documents from collections of the library of Shevchenko Scientific Society is stored in Poland: in the Warsaw National Library and Ossolinski National Institute in Wroclaw.
The library also suffered losses in the post-war years. By the order of the Soviet government, within the framework of “transfer of historical and cultural values of the Polish people to the Provisional Government of the National Unity of the Republic of Poland”, over 217 thousand of stock-keeping units were moved to Poland in 1945-1947, in particular manuscripts and early printed books that made up 70% of the Ossolineum collection, as well as the valuable archive of Ivan Vahylevych. Such “transfers” to Poland were also carried out later (the last one – in 1987). In 1949, ten thousand volumes were transferred to the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Moscow).
An essential part of valuable personal papers of Ukrainian writers and scholars was moved to Kyiv in 1950s (archives of Ivan Franko, Lesia Ukrainka, Olena Pchilka, O. Makovei, A. Krushelnytskyi and others – to the Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; collections of V. Hnatiuk and Ethnographic Commission of Shevchenko Scientific Society – to the Institute of Art Criticism, Folklore and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; collections of F. Vovk – to the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; collections of the Greek-Catholic Metropolitan Consistory – to Vernadskyi Central Scientific Library (now — Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine).
In the process of its long-term history, the library changed its subordination several times. In 1963-1969, it was a part of the system of the Ministry of Culture of Ukrainian SSR and was named Lviv State Scientific Library of the Ministry of Culture of the UkrSSR.
Following the Regulation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine and the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR “On the activities aimed at improvement of operation of the Academy of Sciences of the UkSSR”, in 1969 the library was included into the system of the Academy of Sciences of the UkSSR. Since that time, the institution was renamed several times. Since 1969 it was named Lviv State Scientific Library of the Academy of Sciences of the UkSSR, since May 1971 ― Vasyl Stefanyk Lviv Scientific Library of the Academy of Sciences of the UkSSR, since 1994 ― Vasyl Stefanyk Lviv Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
On April 10, 2008, by the Order of the President of Ukraine the library was granted the status of the national library subordinated to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Now the institution is named Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv.
In 1989, library was granted the status of the research institute. Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv performs functions of the academic and methodological center for libraries of institutes of the Western Scientific Center of the National Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
In different periods, the library was headed by: Zaikin Ya. I. (January-May 1940), Zelenko I. N. (May 1940 – June 1941), the academician of the Academy of Sciences of the UkSSR Shchurat V. S. (1944–1948), Odukha A. Z. (1948–1957), Kyrylov Y. M. (October 1951 – January 1952), Ivantsiv Ye. M. (1957–1971), Mashotas V. V. (November 1971 – June 1974), Stasiuk Ye. M. (1974–1984), candidate of technical sciences Lizanets M. V. (1985–1991), doctor of historical sciences Krushelnytska L. I. (December 1991 – April 2003), correspondent member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Romaniuk M. M. (April 2003 – October 2017). Since March 2018, Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv is headed by its Director General Vasyl Fershtei, candidate of pedagogical sciences.