The history of the Library goes hand in hand with the history of Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economics University.

In 1903 and 1904, Mytrofan Dovnar-Zapolsky, Professor of History in Kyiv Saint Volodymyr University, started petitioning for the opening of the graduate commercial school in Kyiv.

The permit was granted on 4 February 1906. This history of both the University and its Library starts from this date.

It became possible to initiate the library establishment upon receipt of the tuition funds for the first academic year. The library holdings were based on grants of documents from country councils, societies, statistical committees, publishing offices of academic journals, companies and institutions from the entire Russian Empire (more than 100), as well as from individuals, most notably from Count K.K. Potocki, Professors A.M. Huliayev, M.V. Dovnar-Zapolsky, O.O. Eichelmann, et al.

A dedicated textbook library was opened to support the educational process in addition to the main fundamental library. The library operated a reading hall for items available in limited quantities.

The Charter of the Commercial Institute was approved on 12 May 1908; on 4 July 1908, Kyiv Commercial School was transformed into Kyiv Commercial Institute.

The library's holdings were topped up at the expense of the institute and from grants provided by institutions and private individuals, including: Professor P.N. Ardashev, V.V. Bobynin, Professor R.A. Berzin, V. Brunner, O.O. Bielokrysov, Professor K.H. Vobly, M.I. Bielovenets, I. Galant, D.F. Heiden, A.M. Hiliarov, O.M. Huliayev, T.V. Lokot, Professor O.O. Eichelmann, Professor V.A. Udintsev, Professor M.I. Yasnopolsky, et al.

Year 1910: Specialised libraries and reading halls were organised for the practical training in specific areas of expertise in addition to the main library.
A library and a reading room with the special statistical materials obtained from country councils, cities and railroads were opened at the office of statistics. O.O. Russov, teacher of statistics, laid the foundation of this library by providing it with valuable publications. Ye.M. Antonovych, widow of V.B. Antonovych, Professor of Saint Volodymyr University, donated books remaining after the close of the Southwest Department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. The library of the statistics office had more than 1,500 items at that time.

A seminar for financial and economic sciences with a dedicated reading room was established in autumn 1910.

Year 1911: A Commodity Science Museum was established, firstly, as an ancillary training institution for students of the Institute and, secondly, for making it possible for the general public to familiarise themselves closer with the situation in the field of trade, industry and agriculture of Russia at that time, especially of its Southwest Region, and, partly, other states. This was the first attempt to organise a Commodity Science Museum in Russia. There were a large library and a reading room in the museum with materials on manufacture of various products and trade.

Year 1912: A large room was granted to the fundamental library and the number of its visitors increased. The library held 9,666 documents in 20,932 copies to the value of 22,840 roubles in the Russian, English, German and French languages; there were 2,682 volumes in the textbook library.

Till year 1914, the library had been procuring about 2,500 volumes annually. This number changed substantially only in events of large "document grants" or purchases of existing libraries.

The inflow of books dropped by almost 78% upon the commencement of World War I.

Academic year 1914/1915: Merely 1,210 students out of 3,500 (35%) made use of the library. There were 24 visits per year and 30 book requests per year per reader.

In spring 1915, a large part of the Institute was evacuated to Saratov. Military hospitals, warehouses, etc. were accommodated in most premises of the Institute.

The Institute had been working during the whole period of two revolutions and the civil war in Ukraine, except for a 4.5-month break from November 1918 till 1 April 1919. The library was open as well.

Before year 1917, the library was provided free of charge with about 60% of periodicals, but had hardly received books in Ukrainian (there were only 244 such books in the library before year 1918).

Years 1914 to 1917: The library was working in difficult conditions. Its major task was to preserve the accumulated document holdings.

Year 1917: The faculty returned from the evacuation (Saratov), but the new Library room was not ready. The unpacked books were stored in the reading hall. There were hardly any additions to the library holdings. The working conditions were not favourable due to the shortage of fuel and equipment.

There were 1,624 visits to the reading hall; 602 books, 538 magazines and 717 newspapers were issued. There were a number of popular magazines: Letopis, Novyi Ekonomist, Russkiye Zapiski, Sovremennyi Mir, Vestnik Yevropy, Golos Minuvshego, Ukrainskaya Zhizn, Biulleten Literatury I Zhizni, and newspapers: Kievskaya Mysl, Russkoye Slovo, Kievlianin, Russkiye Vozmozhnosti, Priazovskiy Kray, Den, Novoye Vremia and many others.

In 1920s, the library holdings grew gradually. Starting from 1922, the economic situation of the Institute was gradually becoming better, as well as the situation of the Library. The number of documents in its holdings went up as well.

Academic year 1923/1924: It was the first time after a ten-year break that the library started receiving foreign periodicals. The same year, extremely precious books (6,000 volumes) were handed over from the Law Seminar of Kyiv University in connection with the roll-out of the Faculty of Law. Specialised libraries (14 libraries) continued their operation at offices and laboratories in addition to the fundamental library.

Academic year 1923/1924: 924 students out of 1,600 visited the library (58%); there were 79 visits and 97 book requests per student.

Academic year 1924/1925: the 89,683 book requests demonstrated the active educational and academic work of the Institute.

The library was gradually accumulating books in Ukrainian (4,000 volumes).

As of 1 August 1925, the library had 46,818 book names or 64,120 volumes. The fundamental library was managed by Mr Dmytro Teremets.

Year 1926: There were 1,140 readers in the library. The number of non-satisfied requests went up. The readers had new interests after the revolution, but the library comprising 60,000 volumes of old books was unable to satisfy them. New curricula required new publications. There were problems with meeting the readers' requests.

In 1934, the Institute was moved to Kharkiv. As a result, the Ukrainian Institute of Finance and Economics was established and operated in Kharkiv till August 1941.

Academic year 1941/1942 did not start due to the war. The Academic Building, three dormitories, lecture theatres and reading halls, a laboratory and thematic offices were destroyed during the war. The library with its holdings of 250,000 copies burnt down.

On 25 March 1944, the Government of Ukraine decided to return the Institute to Kyiv. The work of the Institute were rolled out gradually and the library was revived at the same time, although as of the beginning of academic year 1944/1945 it only had 3,170 books and brochures. It was accommodated in inappropriate premises on the ground floor of the Institute building in 2 Vulytsia Andriyivska. The reading hall was equipped with neither heating, nor electrical equipment. The library was managed by I.V. Mukhin, assistant professor of the department of finance, (on a job combination basis). Thanks to him, the library was successfully transformed into a hotbed of education and methodology. The library holdings were topped up by means of centralised supplies and the procurement of used books, the supplies from other institutes of economics, which had not been subjected to the occupation during the war, and by means of grants from individual teachers and students. The interlibrary loan system was set up. As a result, the readers were able to use the holdings of libraries of the Institute of Economics and Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian RSR, as well as the Pedagogical and Agricultural Institutes in Kyiv.

By August 1945, the Library held almost 18,000 book items and had 485 readers. The Library worked on a double shift basis and, during the examination periods, without days off.

Late 1950s: The Institute moved to a new building (which is still its main building). The Library was provided with rooms for its departments, the room for the book depository; the textbook loan department and the reading hall for students were opened. The library was managed by Ms V.I. Zahranychna, a genuinely enthusiast librarian.

1970s: The library operations were radically changed: a dedicated reading hall was opened for professors, teachers and post-graduate students; the former gymnasium was converted into a reading hall for students with the open access to the textbook holdings.

Year 1971: A Library Council headed by Professor I.P. Pashchenko was established. The Library Council defines the library's strategy focused on the consolidation of its facilities and the expansion of the book holdings, the improvement of user services, the support to the cultural and education activities, the expansion of inter-library ties, etc. The library was provided with obligatory copies of economics books received from Moscow.

Year 1973: The fiction loan department was established with almost 50,000 copies.

Year 1975: The science and technology information unit and the periodicals reading hall were opened. The mass culture events were held. A Literature Club was opened at the fiction loan department. Literary soirees were organised with the participation of well-known musicians, poets and novelists.

Year 1983: Ms Svitlana Kostenko became the chief librarian. The book holdings, as well as the number of units grew. The following were opened: a foreign literature reading hall, a textbook loan department for extramural students, reading halls in building No. 2 and the University's dormitory. The library held more than 760,000 items and provided services to more than 12,000 users.

1990s: Social changes occurring in the country made it necessary to revise the library holdings and to remove a large part of it.

Year 1998: The document holdings amounted to 658,000 items, but the number of readers grew incessantly to about 15,000; the number of visits went up to 355,000. However, the number of library employees remained unchanged (75 people, as in 1988). The work started on the automation of library/bibliographical and information processes. The first stage of the implementation of digital technologies in the library's work started with the installation of the computer hardware, the computer literacy training of library employees and the implementation of information technologies. The development of the Electronic Catalogue and its presentation in the university's intranet was started.

Year 2002: The library held about 1,000,000 items and provided services to more than 25,000 users. There were 493,000 visits and 1,706,000 items were issued. Ms Tetiana Kurylenko became the chief librarian.

Year 2003: The retro-conversion of documents from the General Alphabet Catalogue was started.

Year 2004: The library held more than 1,137,000 items. It provided services to 31,341 users. A great attention was paid to the construction of the new Library Building.

Year 2005: The library held 1,237,414 items. It provided services to 31,125 users via 4 loan departments and 8 reading halls. The research activities of the library were focused on studying history of both the University and the Library, developing novel forms of the provision of library/bibliographical and information services, and innovative processes, new forms and methods of services; producing new information and bibliographical products.

Year 2006. This was a jubilee year. The Library, together with the University, celebrated its 100th anniversary. One century has been a long period of multiple historical, social and political changes. However, the library carried out its mission of providing documentary support to academic and educational activities of the University regardless of all difficulties. The Library moved to the new building on occasion of the anniversary.

Years 2007-2010: The Library continued implementing novel technologies, refining library and bibliographical user service technologies in the new building. The structure of the library changed.   The library continued transforming in accordance with the Library Development Concept for years 2006 to 2012. The Library gave up its reliance on the traditional document-based approach to topping up its holdings and started developing and using electronic documents with the establishment of the electronic library; the documents on electronic data carriers were updated and provided to users; the information search environment of the library was harmonised on the basis of contemporary information technologies; the document-based support to processes was developed and improved together with the development of the qualification of employees.