ENThe article describes the development of Panevėžys district Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė public library that was marked by the historical background, political dependence, and cultural policy during the certain periods in Lithuania: the years 1921–1940 when the library was established and its activities during Lithuanian Independence period; the years 1940– 1944 – the activities of the library during the Soviet and later the German occupation; and the years 1944–1990 – the Soviet times and the most important library activities after the restoration of independence in 1990. [From the publication]