What's New In Special Collections

Spring Break in the Archives

While most people associate spring break in Las Vegas with hanging out at casino pool side cabanas, going to nightclubs or gambling, there are also folks like patrons Casey White and his grandfather Jim Heinselman who find a history field trip to UNLV Special Collections to view old photographs and maps of Las Vegas is just the ticket for a fun afternoon. #springbreakinthearchives

Special Collections was delighted to receive a significant donation of historical photographs from the Culinary Workers Union Local 226.

Depicting strikes, rallies, and other Union member activities spanning several decades, the images show the Culinary Union’s dynamic role in shaping Las Vegas history over the years. This extensive collection will be curated, digitized, and preserved. A wide selection of images from the collection will be made available online for community members, students, and researchers around the world.

Read more about this historic donation…Read More

Exhibit Highlight: The Game Ball: March Madness 1990

Peter Michel, Head of Exhibits, has curated an exhibit celebrating Jerry Tarkanian, March Madness, and the Game That Put UNLV on the Map!

Check it out on the 1st floor of Lied Library, near Media Services to see THE game ball used in the 1990 championship game. Here's a brief excerpt from the exhibit.

When Moses Scurry asked Tarkanian about playing in Denver’s mile-high altitude after the team arrived for the 1990 Final Four, Tarkanian said, “Moses, don’t worry about it. We’re playing indoors.”

“The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy.”

Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian, “Tark the Shark", was a legend in college basketball, winning 729 games in a career spanning the years 1968-2002. His .790 win percentage is still one of the best in men's basketball. His reputation is forever associated with UNLV where he won 509 games with the Runnin' Rebels, taking four teams…Read More

Eadington Gaming Fellow Laurie Arnold | In Residence March 4-18

Laurie Arnold

Arnold (Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2005) is an enrolled member of the Sinixt Band of the Colville Confederated Tribes and is Director of Native American Studies at Gonzaga University. She has previously held positions at the D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the Newberry Library in Chicago and at the University of Notre Dame. Her first book, Bartering with the Bones of Their Dead: The Colville Confederated Tribes and Termination, was published by the…Read More