What's New in Special Collections

A new exhibit in the display case just outside of Special Collections celebrates the art of miniature books. Such a book is usually considered to be one which is no more than three inches in size--height, width or thickness. Traditionally hand-made, miniature books incorporate a variety of media and styles of paper and binding. Like the larger artists' books, miniature books are personal expressions by the artist drawing from personal experiences.

Check out the new UNLV Special Collections searchable database for manuscripts, photographs, and oral histories.  Our new database allows for universal searching through all of our primary source collections. Please take the time to do some test searches and let us know what you think. More linked finding aids will soon be available.

The online exhibit "Welcome Home Howard; or Whatever Became of the Daring Aviator?" has been revamped and recreated as a new ContentDM digital collection.  In ContentDM, the collection will have greater search capabilities and features. 

Michael Frazier, Conservator in Special Collections was recently interviewed for the Inside UNLV December 2008 newsletter.

Check out the exhibit on Nevada Senator Howard Cannon (1912-2002) on Lied Library's 3rd Floor.

A decorated World War II pilot, Howard Cannon served as Las Vegas city attorney before he was elected to the US Senate in 1958. He would go on to serve four terms as a US Senator and was responsible for the passage of several significant pieces of legislation that affected both Nevada and the nation.

October is Nevada Archives Month.  The Nevada State Library and Archives have put together a fantastic web site that allows you to enjoy the history of our state.  It includes treasure hunts, proclamations, and an archives resource center.  Take time to see what a wonderful and diverse past our state has to offer.         

Two special events will be held at the University Libraries in honor of Nevada Archives Month in October. 

A booksigning and talk by Michael Vernetti, author of Senator Howard Cannon of Nevada, will take place on October 2 at 5:30pm in Lied Library's Extended Study Room. Vernetti did extensive research for his book in the Cannon papers which are housed in UNLV Special Collections. 

The Special Collections houses one of the largest menu collections in the United States. The menus date as far back as the 19th century and come from some of the finest restaurants in Europe. The Menu Collections virtual exhibit contains over 60 scanned menus for your enjoyment. This exhibit includes menus from various Las Vegas restaurants, as well.

Hey, it's been a long time since we've seen you. We want to fix that!

The Preservation/Conservation Laboratory is having an open house, for all library staff.

Date: Friday, September 12th, 2008.

Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Place: Special Collections at the Lied Library, on the 3rd floor.

Refreshments will be served.

And, we'll be conducting tours of THE LAB throughout the afternoon.

If you have never seen THE LAB, this is your chance.

If you haven't been up in a while, let us reintroduce you to preservation and conservation.

Web pages for the University Archives within UNLV Special Collections have been completely revamped and updated just in time for UNLV's 50th Anniversary.  The site now includes descriptions of the various record series that make up the University Archives including a complete list of publications.  Other new parts of the site include FAQs about the university, a university history timeline, a buildings timeline, a president's timeline, and a bibliography of published works on UNLV.