What's New In Special Collections

The Art of Miniature Books: an exhibit of miniature books by Jill Timm

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.

This collection of miniature books were designed by book artist, Jill Timm, for her Mystical Places Press and express her love of nature especially of the west and southwest. Using a variety of media from 3-D photographs,  handmade papers, and stones, Timm has created a remarkably eclectic oeuvre using a wide variety of book making skills. It is the art of the book in miniature. 

-- Peter Michel 

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New Special Collections Search Box

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.

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New ContentDM Digital Collection!

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. 

This collection features photographic images and portraits documenting Howard Hughes. There are 180 images selected from two collections: The Howard Hughes Collection and the Hughes Electronics Collection. All collections are housed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the Special Collections at the University Libraries.

Welcome Home, Howard!: or Whatever Became of the Daring Aviator? began as a web exhibit created by Special Collections to showcase its Howard Hughes collections in the wake of the publicity surrounding Martin Scorsese's 2004 biopic about Howard Hughes,…Read More

Staff Spotlight on Michael Frazier

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

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Howard Cannon Exhibit on 3rd Floor - Lied Library

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.

He is the subject of a new biography by Michael Vernetti - Senator Howard Cannon of Nevada. Vernetti researched the book using the Cannon Papers which were donated to Special Collections in 1983 and are housed in the University Libraries. Photographs for the exhibit were drawn from the Howard Cannon photo collection which is housed in Special Collections.

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Nevada Archives Month!

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.         

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Nevada Archives Month Events

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. 

Dr. Larry Gragg, PhD, Curators' Teaching Professor | History and Political Science at Missouri University of Science and Technology will present a lecture "There Were Few Solid Facts to Get in the Way": Popular Perceptions of Bugsy Siegel as Founding Father of Las Vegas on October 23 at 7:30pm in Lied Library's Extended Study Room. Gragg was a March 2008 Visiting Gaming Research Fellow in UNLV Special Collections and has done extensive research on the…Read More

New Virtual Exhibit!

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.

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Preservation/Conservation Laboratory Open House

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.

We are going to answer your questions about what we do and how we do it.

Everyone is welcome! So, if you have a few minutes, please stop by.

We hope to see you there.

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University Archives Pages Updated

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. This page will continue to grow as we celebrate this momentous occasion in the university's history.
 

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