The Swiss Esperanto Society opened the library in Switzerland in 1908. In 1912, the library came into the possession of Hector Hodler, the founder of UEA, and after Hodler's death in 1920 the library remained under the management of UEA in Switzerland. In 1947, the library was renamed the Hector Hodler Library, and when UEA headquarters relocated to Rotterdam, the library was moved there in 1960.