Donating Materials to Special Collections
Special Collections and Archives seeks rare and unique historical documentation related directly to Las Vegas, the Southern Nevada region, the gaming industry worldwide, and sexual entertainment and economies. We collect personal, organizational, and corporate records documenting the history of labor, land use and environmental preservation, innovators and civic leaders, political issues and movements, and social and cultural activities.
Our collecting is format neutral, focusing on content over medium. Documentation is not limited to traditional physical formats such as correspondence, diaries, financial records, or photographs, but may also include born-digital material or information conveyed via the web.
Materials donated to Special Collections are made available for researchers to use in our reading room and may also be used in instruction or exhibits in the library and online.
Learn more about about SCA’s collecting priorities.
For information about transferring UNLV records to the University Archives, please see our page on how to transfer university records.
You are part of the history of our city! Your life and experiences are an important part of the vibrant and wonderful story of Las Vegas. If you choose to donate your collection, your legacy will be preserved in perpetuity by highly skilled, professional archivists and librarians. Our talented staff will maintain your collection alongside hundreds of others and make it available for future students, researchers, and citizens to study and learn.
Organizations and corporations also benefit by donating their records, because we will store your inactive, historical records and will help you find your material when you most need it. We can help you gain control of your space and your files.
Following donation, archivists will organize and describe the collection to facilitate its discovery by researchers. It will be maintained according to professional archival standards in a climate-controlled, secure environment and made available for study in our reading room. We may also digitize portions of the collection for use online.
Please email Sarah Quigley, Director of Special Collections and Archives at sarah.quigley@unlv.edu if you are interested in donating material.
SCA primarily acquires collections through donation. Each donor is required to sign a Deed of Gift transferring physical ownership of the collection to SCA. SCA will not accept collections without a Deed of Gift, loans of collection material, or long-term deposits of collections. The donor must sign a deed of gift within 60 days of the deposit or SCA will return the collection.
SCA may, on occasion, purchase collections. We will only acquire collections if we can commit to responsible, long-term stewardship of the material.
Curators are available via email to discuss potential donations and answer your questions.