Research: Library Collections

• Special Collections Manuscript Collection
• Special Collections Photograph Collections
• Special Collections Gaming Collection
• Special Collections and Archives Portal
• Oral History Research Center
• Center for Gaming Research
• Architecture at the Architectural Studies Library
• Kits and Devices at the Curriculum Materials Library
• Music Collection at the Music Library
• Digital Scholarship@UNLV

View the A-Z list of all UNLV Libraries collections
 

• Books and ebooks 
• Special Collections and Archives Portal
• Government Publications
• Journal Articles & Databases
• Maps
• Microforms
• Newspaper Databases
• Newspapers on Microfilm
• Streaming Videos

For links to primary sources available in the UNLV Libraries (these include collections online, in print and on microfilm) as well as to primary source collections freely available on the web see:

• Books

• Government Documents
  • Governments produce a wide array of documents ranging from Congressional or Parliamentary debates and reports, census data, agency or departmental papers to brochures, maps and posters. As primary sources these official governmental publications provide insight into all aspects of history from social issues to politics, from cultural mores to scientific endeavor
• Images

  • Photographs, drawings and other images provide information you can't always get from a text source. Images can provide details of everyday life such as clothing or material culture.

    It is important to keep in mind that photographs are not an unbiased reflection of reality -- the photographer chooses what and how to depict a certain scene.

    Help: Making Sense of Documentary Photographs, Analyzing Photographs, Analyzing Political Cartoons, Analyzing Material Culture, Making Sense of Films, and Making Sense of Advertisements

• Letters & Diaries
  • Letters and diaries provide a personal angle on history and often gives voice to the common person such as the WWI soldier in the trenches or the sweetheart on the homefront. However keep in mind that, like all sources, letters and diaries follow the convention of their times and must be considered in light of the writer's motivations and biases. There are a number of published collections of letters especially those written by well-known historical figures (Walt Whitman or Winston Churchill). Unpublished diaries and letters are found in manuscript repositories such as the Special Collections here at UNLV.
    Help: Making Sense of Letters & Diaries
• Newspaper & Magazine Articles
• Maps
• Oral Histories
  • UNLV Oral History Research Center
  • Oral histories provide a personal angle on history and often gives voice to the common person. However it important to keep in mind that oral histories are subjective and individualistic and that memory is fallible.
• Archival Materials @ UNLV
  •   Learn about using archival materials and finding materials at other repositories with this Archival Toolkit from the SAA

Keep in mind that non-UNLV students must be in the UNLV Libraries to use any of the links that include a lock icon.

American Memory from the Library of Congress provides a wide range of primary source materials in all the categories above.