Special Collections and Archives in Action
UNLV University Libraries Special Collections and Archives (SCA) collects, preserves, and provides access to rare and unique materials documenting our region, the gaming industry, and the history of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Our work focuses on:
- Preserving rare and unique materials documenting the region’s heritage
- Serving as UNLV’s official university archives
- Partnering with donors and records creators to steward historical collections
- Supporting teaching and research for students, faculty, and scholars worldwide
- Connecting our community with its history
For all historians of Las Vegas, Southern Nevada, and gambling there is no better place on the planet to conduct research than the Special Collections at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The public documents, the oral histories, the company papers, the memoirs, the photos, the papers of public figures, the newspaper and magazine clippings, and the fascinating ephemera from the casinos and hotels offer a treasure trove of material from which one can reconstruct the life of the city and the lives of the people who built it. Without repositories and archives like Special Collections, research historians would be at a loss to explain the past in a meaningful way to their readers.
Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus and University Historian, Missouri S&T
Author of Bright Light City: Las Vegas in Popular Culture, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Becoming America’s Playground, and Bugsy's Shadow
Impact in fiscal year 2025
The figures below summarize the use of selected collections, services, and spaces between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. These metrics help demonstrate the role Special Collections plays in teaching, research, and community engagement while informing planning and continuous improvement.
Annual highlights by the numbers
17,800+
Items Digitized
1,600,563
Portal Pages Viewed
457
Patron Registrations
175
Reproduction Requests
Most Requested Archival Collections
- Howard Hughes Film Production Records (MS-01036)
- Union Pacific Railroad Collection (MS-00397)
- John Levy Lighting Productions, Inc. Records (MS-00832)
- Elizabeth von Till and Claude N. Warren Professional Papers (MS-00906)
- Junior League of Las Vegas Records (MS-00179)
12
Disciplines Represented in Instruction
677
Students Reached
306 linear feet and 4.7 TB
Materials Acquired
45 new collections and 51 additions
Collections and Oral Histories Processed
Sharing our region’s history
Discover books and scholarship made possible through research in Special Collections and Archives. Explore recent publications from our researchers.
Devils Hole Pupfish: The Unexpected Survival of an Endangered Species in the Modern American West
By Kevin C. Brown
University of Nevada Press, 2021
Bugsy's Shadow: Moe Sedway, "Bugsy" Siegel, and the Birth of Organized Crime in Las Vegas
By Larry Gragg
High Road Books, 2023
All the Water the Law Allows: Las Vegas and Colorado River Politics
By Christian S. Harrison
University of Oklahoma Press, 2021
Gambling with Lives: A History of Occupational Health in Greater Las Vegas
By Michelle Follette Turk
University of Nevada Press, 2022
Support Special Collections and Archives
Donor support helps UNLV Special Collections and Archives preserve rare materials, expand collections, and provide access to the history of Las Vegas, Southern Nevada, and UNLV.
To direct your gift to Special Collections:
- Locate the UNLV University Libraries donation box on the page.
- Select Library - Special Collections from the list of programs.
- Select the + Add to donation button.