Special Collections, UNR Libraries

09/10/2026

Back in the classroom for the first time this semester and it feels so good! Here are some of the goodies awaiting the students of Core Humanities 203, focused on US History - from an 1807 grammar textbook by Noah Webster to a 1994 Genoa Candy Dance cookbook, there are delights galore! Which of these would you be drawn to first?

09/04/2026

We were on tv!!!

A few ordinary-looking objects can hold extraordinary stories about Reno’s past.Reno History Detective Elspeth Olson sat down with ARC Reno Thursday morning for

08/26/2026

in 1920, US Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification of the 19th Amendment, forbidding gender-based voting restrictions. While a number of states had opened voting up to non-male citizens in preceding years, this Constitutional amendment made it nationwide. This 1914 photo by F. P. Dann shows a pro-suffrage float in Reno. On the back of the photo someone wrote: The float represents Nevada standing at the gate waiting to be admitted to her free sisters. The hundreds of yellow flowers that decorate the float represent the work of the Reno suffragists who have been busy day and night for the past two weeks; Picture taken in front of Court House, Reno; Float was awarded 2nd Prize—Value$25.00. The banner on one horse reads: Nevada, Don’t Keep Your Women Out. Anne Martin photo collection, ID UNRS-P1996-05-02

08/13/2026

New exhibit alert! Now on display until mid-November, “A Few of Our Favorite Things: 65 Years of Special Collections and University Archives” spans almost 200 linear feet around the third floor of the Knowledge Center. Each wall and case showcases a staff member’s selection of favorite collections or collection items in celebration of our anniversary, ranging from a 15th century manuscript page to the University’s 1980s televised news broadcasts. Just goes to show, you never know what you might find in the archives! University Libraries at the University of Nevada, Reno

08/03/2026

We had a great time on Saturday helping celebrate local history at the Tahoe City’s Gatekeeper’s Museum & Watson Cabin! We brought a pop-up display on Dr. James E. Church, Jr. - his collection of papers, photos, and artifacts about the early 20th century development of snow science and the Mount Rose Observatory is among our most prominent resources. Glad to see the bridge work done and his commemorative plaque back in place!

07/30/2026

Jumping on that Odyssey bandwagon with our beautiful 1541 edition of the Iliad and Odyssey in Greek with Greek commentary. Latin marginalia is scattered throughout, as you can see on the flyleaf. It’s bound with what looks like alum-tawed pigskin over thick wooden boards, and elaborately blind-tooled in a fashion frequently seen in Central European bindings of the early modern period. This one comes from Basel, Switzerland! This kind of binding is extremely strong and durable, and the book is in beautiful condition- especially considering it’s nearly 500 years old! Want to come take a look yourself? The call number is PA4018 .A3 1541.

07/23/2026

in 1947, this is what the intersection of Pyramid Way and B Street (now called Victorian Avenue) looked like in Sparks! Things have changed a little, haven’t they? The photo was taken by Nevada Dept of Transportation and is part of a larger series. Photo ID: UNRS-P1988-35-01

07/17/2026

Y’all. Y’ALL. Are you sitting down, because this is one of the coolest things we’ve done in a WHILE, thanks to collaboration with the Digital Media team and our fearless metadata experts. We have two cuneiform tablets in our vault, both between 3,000 and 4,000 years old. Earlier this year we heard from a scholar at Yale who was able to translate them for us, and now we’ve gone and digitized them! With 3D models you can manipulate and zoom close into, the whole shebang. We’re SUPER EXCITED and thrilled by the results of this cross-departmental project! Link: https://unr.dgicloud.com/63949

07/15/2026

Sometimes a photo in the archives provides an unexpected sense of perspective. This photo shows University President Joseph Stubbs with the 1913 summer school staff. This year, hundreds of faculty and staff are in the middle of running more than 1,000 classes during the summer sessions. How we have grown! University of Nevada, Reno