Quick Summary
This year’s annual ALA conference was held in Las Vegas. I learned many things while at the conference, but one of the coolest takeaways for me was discovering the richness and diversity of the city’s captivating history. Only getting to scratch the surface of this
This year’s annual ALA conference was held in Las Vegas. I learned many things while at the conference, but one of the coolest takeaways for me was discovering the richness and diversity of the city’s captivating history. Only getting to scratch the surface of this complex history, I left wanting to return one day to learn more. My conference started with a tour of the University of Las Vegas, Nevada’s Lied Library. The Lied Library staff was memorably hospitable and engaging. The physical space of the library was impressive and beautiful. But what I found fascinating were their Special Collections tour and display, Oral History Research Center, Digital Collections and the MultiTaction iWall demonstration, and in-house automated storage and retrieval.
In subsequent ALA events I learned more about UNLV holdings such as the Nevada Women’s Archives at the WGSS all-membership meeting and the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project at the RUSA History Section program. All of these resources, from digital collections such as Showgirls and the African American Experience to interviews of those who lived and worked at the Nevada Test Site, are amazing resources for researchers of all kinds. Take a moment to check them out.