[1] NLN belongs to the National Library and Archives service of the Namibian government, in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.

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 (German: Library of the Imperial Government) 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.

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, sharing it with the National Archives of Namibia.