Learn how faculty, students, visiting scholars, and community members can explore our collections, conduct research, or request assistance.
The University Libraries is committed to providing equal access to information for all faculty, staff, students, and members of the Las Vegas community. In compliance with Nevada law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and UNLV policies, we collaborate with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to accommodate reasonable requests for assistance in accessing and using library materials and services.
If any special accommodations are needed for your visit, please contact us in advance at 702-895-2234 or use our contact form and we will do our best to meet your needs.
Accessible parking near library buildings
Designated parking for users with handicap parking placards or permits are available in lots nearby library buildings.
Parking near Lied Library
Also available, two accessible parking spots in the metered parking next to the Harmon Ave library entrance.
Accessible desk
We have a powered height-adjustable desk in our outer reading room which features an integrated power strip to keep your devices charged.
For guidance on citing materials from Special Collections and Archives in academic research papers, please refer to our citation guide. It includes instructions for citing physical and digital items, as well as oral histories, in Chicago, MLA, and APA styles.
If you are citing Special Collections and Archives materials in an exhibit, documentary, or television newscast, please use the following credit line:
UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives
Here are some brief tips and videos for locating materials in Special Collections and Archives. We are also happy to assist you with any questions you may have about this search process.
If you have questions, please contact us.
We’re happy to help with research questions related to our collections, which focus on Las Vegas, Southern Nevada, gaming, gambling, and UNLV.
- If your question is about general Nevada history, topics outside our collecting areas, or microfilm (available on the 2nd floor), we’ll connect you with the appropriate subject or reference librarian. In some cases, we may also suggest hiring an outside researcher.
- If you contact us by phone or email, we can provide up to 30 minutes of free research assistance on your behalf.
- If you need scans of material, additional fees may apply and you will need to fill out the reproduction order form.
- For more extensive research requests, we may recommend working with an outside researcher, such as a graduate student in the history department.
- To help us assist you as efficiently as possible, please share as much detail as you can about your topic (such as names, locations, and dates). We also encourage you to start with a search in our online portal to identify relevant boxes and folders.
- We respond to all inquiries in the order they are received. Depending on the complexity of your request and staff availability, responses may take up to two weeks.
- Please contact us for assistance with your reference query.
We offer copies of materials to support your private study, scholarship, or research.
You’re welcome to use materials in our collections that are in the public domain and to make fair use of copyrighted materials as defined by copyright law. Please review how to cite our materials.
For more details about requesting and using reproductions, please visit our Reproductions and Use page.
UNLV Special Collections and Archives staff acknowledges that the creation, application, and management of archival description is not a neutral activity. We aim to use language and description that is inclusive, respectful, and representative of the communities that create, use, and engage with the materials held in our care.
If you discover harmful or offensive language in finding aids, descriptive metadata for digitized items, or other content created by UNLV Special Collections and Archives, please contact us. We welcome your feedback.
In some instances, we will supplement but not replace the offensive terms that come from authorized sources as terms assigned may comply with standards still in use for searching.
Descriptions may contain language and/or imagery that are offensive because of content relating to: ability, gender, race, religion, sexuality/sexual orientation, and other categories. These documents, images, publications, and other materials have been preserved in order to present the materials in their original state and context, and do not reflect the values of UNLV Special Collections and Archives.
Library descriptive practices have changed over time and many of our finding aids and inventories may contain outdated or harmful language that does not align with our current values or meet professional archival descriptive best practices.
We use the Library of Congress Subject Headings, Library of Congress Name Authority File, and Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST) for standardized searching in our finding aids and digital object descriptions available in the online catalog and SCA search portal that may contain offensive or harmful language. We are actively working to address this problem and support efforts in the library community to update or change terms. We are committed to correcting mistakes and past practices that harm our communities and users.