Welcome to the Digital Collections & Exhibits page. These digital collections and
exhibits are taken from the unique materials housed at UNLV
Special Collections. They show the scope and diversity of
materials available to researchers. The UNLV Special Collections Image Gallery provides a sample of the various photographs, artwork, and other visual media available within the UNLV Special Collections. The image above,
from the Binion's Horseshoe Collection, is part of the World Series
of Poker: A Retrospective exhibit. Click here to access the UNLV Libraries Digital Collections page.
Digital Collections
Southern Nevada: The Boomtown Years
A new digital collection that brings together a wide range of original source materials found in widely diverse collections from UNLV Libraries Special Collections, the Nevada State Museum, and Historical Society in Las Vegas and the Clark County Heritage Museum. In addition to original source materials, the collection provides a wide variety of standards-based activities for elementary and high schoolers.
“Welcome Home Howard, or Whatever Became of the Daring Aviator?”
A digital collection drawing from the Howard Hughes collections housed in UNLV Libraries Special Collections. The exhibit focuses on Hughes the Aviator, popularized in the current Hollywood film by Martin Scorsese. The exhibit also draws on unique unpublished documentation and interviews with Hughes from the files of Dick Hannah, Hughes's public relations director.
Showgirls
This collection features a visual history of Las Vegas entertainment and focuses specifically on the iconic Las Vegas showgirl. Included are over 200 scanned digital images of original costume design sketches, photographic prints, and illustrations.
Before Gaming . . . Celebrating Las Vegas' Centennial, 1905-2005
Before Gaming. Before Hotels. Before the tourists came. Where Indians, explorers, settlers, and ranchers wandered, set down, picked up, and mostly moved on. Until the San Pedro, Salt Lake and Los Angeles Railroad stopped for water. Then Las Vegas was a small railroad depot-with-a-town in the desert.
Las Vegas and Water in the West
The planning and construction of Hoover Dam is the central and defining phenomenon of the history presented by this digital project. UNLV Special Collections houses the largest collection of material relating to Hoover Dam, including film footage, maps, government publications relating to the planning and construction of the dam, and well over a thousand photographs.
Southern Nevada and Las Vegas: History in Maps
A digital collection featuring over 80 historic maps.
Early Las Vegas
From this portal, visitors can view the galleries
listed below.
Hoover
Dam
Built from 1931-1935, the dam put Las Vegas on the map.
Nightclub
Las Vegas
This gallery uses the unique materials of UNLV
Special Collections to present a history of Las Vegas entertainment.
Exhibits
Menu 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. Here you will find over 60 scanned menus for your enjoyment. This exhibit includes menus from various Las Vegas restaurants, as well.
Celebrating 50 Years!
Come celebrate the university’s 50th anniversary by learning more about its extraordinary past. UNLV Special Collections has assembled a variety of historical material on the university this year. The material includes information regarding UNLV timelines, faqs, presidents, and an extensive bibiography.
Learning About Las Vegas: A Digital Exhibit Celebrating 40 Years of
UNLV Special Collections
UNLV Special Collections has reached its 40th Anniversary this year! In June 1967, UNLV Special Collections opened its doors within the James R. Dickinson Library on the campus known as Nevada Southern University. From its early days collecting books and documents on Nevada and gaming, it has evolved into the richest and most complete source of documentation on the history, culture, and landscape of Las Vegas and its environs in Southern Nevada.
Dino
at the Sands
In the early 1960s, the Rat Pack made Las Vegas--and the Sands
Casino--an all-day party. This exhibit features photos of Dean
Martin and the Rat Pack in action.
UNLV Libraries One Millionth Volume
A digital exhibit about Antonio de Herrera's monumental history of Spanish exploration and settlement of the New World, published in Madrid 1601-1615.
Nevada Women's Archives
These collections document the lives and careers of significant Southern Nevada women.
Jeanne
Russell Janish, Botanical Illustrator
During her lifetime, Janish produced some 11,500
illustrations for 32 major books and many shorter works in biology,
geology, and botany. This exhibit contains artwork painted and
sketched during her travels, 1930-1953.
Gaming
Studies Research Center Virtual Museum
Gaming
Art Gallery
This exhibit contains digital images of some of
the gaming-related artwork on file in UNLV Special Collections.
Paradise
Misplaced: The Xanadu Hotel-Casino
Planned in 1975 but never built, this Martin Stern casino is an
interesting study in resort design.
Hotel
El Rancho Vegas: The Strip's First Resort
The Las Vegas Strip began in 1941 with this modest resort. This
exhibit has the most complete assembly of information about the
path-breaking casino available anywhere.
World
Series of Poker: A Retrospective
This exhibit has materials from the Binion's Horseshoe collection
and documents some of the history of the world's longest-running
poker tournament.
Neon
Survey: Las Vegas Strip, Sunset to Sahara
In the summer of 2002, the Neon Museum and UNLV
Special Collections documented the current neon landscape of the
Las Vegas Strip. This exhibit has photographs and narrative descriptions
of the famous and obscure signs of the Strip.