We welcome donations of material that will enable us to further document the historical development of Las Vegas and its significant role in gaming and entertainment, and as an urban landscape in 21st Century America.

As the premier repository of historical materials on the gaming industry, Las Vegas, and entertainment, we are particularly interested in papers relating to Las Vegas entertainment figures and shows; however, we are also interested in the organizational records of casinos and hotels, and the personal papers of Las Vegas pioneers and long-time residents.

Other materials of interest include records pertaining to architectural and urban development in Southern Nevada, women and ethnic groups in Las Vegas, and documents pertaining to Las Vegas gaming and labor history. Materials donated to Special Collections will be available for use by students and researchers and may also be used in educational exhibits within the department and the library.

Items donated to Special Collections are used only in a supervised reading room. In addition to ensuring their access to future generations, all historical materials donated to UNLV Special Collections are kept in secure, climate-controlled storage, and placed in acid-free folders and containers in order to preserve them from future deterioration due to the damaging effects of light and heat.

Types of materials frequently donated are:

• photographs
• letters
• diaries
• speeches/lectures
• memoirs
• scrapbooks/photo albums
• business records
• pamphlets, brochures and flyers
• press releases
• memos
• audio/video recordings
• programs

For detailed guides on donating your personal papers or organizational records to a repository, please take a look at the following websites produced by the Society of American Archivists:

• Personal Papers http://www.archivists.org/catalog/donating-familyrecs.asp
• Organizational Records http://www.archivists.org/catalog/donating-orgrecs.asp

Recent noteworthy donations to UNLV Special Collections have included the corporate archives of Harrah's Entertainment Inc., the papers and photographs of Nevada Dance Theatre founder Vasilli Sulich, the costume designs of Jose Luis Vinas (Casino de Paris and Vive Les Girls), and the business records of the Leprachaun Mining Corporation.

Read the press release for the Harrah's donation:
http://www.unlv.edu/News_Bureau/News_Releases/2003/March03/115.html

If you are interested in donating materials to Special Collections, please contact:

• Michelle Light, Head, Special Collections (702-895-2234) or Su Kim Chung, Manuscripts Librarian (702-895-2241).
• If you are interested in donating gaming materials to our collections, please contact David G. Schwartz, Gaming Studies Coordinator (702-895-2242).
• If you are interested in donating UNLV records to the Special Collections, please contact Tom Sommer, University Archivist (702-895-2275).
• If you are interested in donating photographs to Special Collections, please contact Kelli Luchs, Photograph Archivist (702-895-2247)