UNR Special Collections and University Archives
banner
unr-scua.bsky.social
UNR Special Collections and University Archives
@unr-scua.bsky.social
Home to the University of Nevada, Reno Archives and Special Collections materials. Our strengths include Nevada politics, activism, environmentalism and land use, mining and railroads, people and places of Nevada, and book arts/artists’ books.
🚨Last call to see the current exhibit! “Stage Craft: Reno Little Theater at 90” closes November 24! Come check us out on the 3rd floor of the Knowledge Center before then - this is a fun one, you don’t want to miss it. #archives
November 18, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Always fun to teach undergrads how to use microfilm! #ArchivesLife #GLAMS
November 13, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Hey #AcademicSky, how have you/your classes made use of your local archives recently? It's Friday and we're feeling chatty! #GLAMS #ArchivesLife
November 7, 2025 at 5:08 PM
It’s spooky season! Have you thought of exploring our witchy books? Mostly about witch trials, identification, etc., rather than spells, we have books going back to the 16th century on the topic. Super cool stuff!
October 30, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Quick reminder that we (and the rest of the university) are closed tomorrow for Nevada Day! See you all Monday!
October 30, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by UNR Special Collections and University Archives
Yesterday's thread was fun--let's do another! October 23 was another important day in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Most histories focus on the drama of the Soviet ships approaching the quarantine line, but I want to talk about how that quarantine was established in the first place #History🗃️... (1/13)
October 23, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Come join us on Saturday!
October 16, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Hey Archivists - do you have patrons interested in Western US politics and public service? We’re accepting applications for non-Nevadans to win a $5000 award to come do research in our collections!! Applications close in TWO WEEKS. Please share widely! #AskAnArchivist #PoliticalScience
October 16, 2025 at 10:10 PM
This, right here. We have these collections FOR YOU. Please use them!
Genuinely, I wish archives in general got more use. I wish more people knew that archives exist to be used, that archivists are thrilled when people come in just because they're curious, and that we love to help them find what they need. Archives belong to the people! Use them!
October 16, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Okay fellow Archives of BlueSky, we want to hear about our favorite archives conversation-starters - your accessioned bricks! Most of us have at least one... #AskAnArchivist
October 16, 2025 at 4:01 PM
It’s #AskAnArchivist Day! Whatcha got? Let’s get this party started, Pacific time zone-style!
October 16, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Ask An Archivist Day is TOMORROW, October 16! Start thinking about what you want to know about us, our collections, and our career path! All kinds of questions welcome (within reason; keep it PG). Basic or complex, silly or serious, let's have a good time and some good chats tomorrow.
October 15, 2025 at 11:55 PM
It’s that time again! Join us for this year’s James Award lecture, “Representation & Policymaking in NV: Exploring the History of Female Leaders & Policymakers of Color” from Rowan University professor Dr. Magdalena Martinez. It will be November 5, 3-4pm (Pacific time), on zoom. Get free tickets!
Select tickets – James Award Talk - Representation & Policymaking in NV: Exploring the History of Female Leaders & Policymakers of Color – Zoom
James Award Talk - Representation & Policymaking in NV: Exploring the History of Female Leaders & Policymakers of Color – Zoom, Wed Nov 5, 2025 - Please join the University Libraries' Special Collecti...
www.tickettailor.com
October 15, 2025 at 5:32 PM
It’s National Archives Month, and the annual #AskAnArchivist Day is next Thursday, October 16. Got questions about archives and archivists? Just ask! Questions of any level of experience or seriousness are all welcome!

For more information: www2.archivists.org/initiatives/...
#AskAnArchivist Day - October 16, 2025 | Society of American Archivists
Society of American Archivists
www2.archivists.org
October 8, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Seeking applicants for the 2026 James Award! This annual $5,000 prize supports scholars pursuing research in the political collections held here in Special Collections. Apply today! library.unr.edu/places/knowl... #academicsky #ResearchFunding #ApplicationsOpen
The Bruce and Nora James Visiting Scholar Award for the Study of Nevada Politics and Public Service | University Libraries | University of Nevada, Reno
Learn more about and apply for the Bruce & Nora James Visiting Scholar Award for the Study of Nevada Politics and Public Service.
library.unr.edu
October 7, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Not much autumn color yet around here, so we’re turning to artist’s books like “An Autumn Garden” by Claire Lawson-Hall and Muriel Mallows (2000). The book has a “Jacob’s Ladder” structure and fits easily in the palm of your hand - an excellent example of good things coming in small packages.
October 1, 2025 at 10:48 PM
That feeling when you're writing an exhibit and realize you left the hardest bits for last.
a man in a sweater with the letter a on his chest
Alt: Captain Kirk slams his fist on a control panel and yells in frustration.
media.tenor.com
September 29, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Take note, fellow learning enthusiasts!
Great news!
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month

www.jstor.org/action/showL...
September 29, 2025 at 8:54 PM
We love finding doodles in antique books! This 1868 copy of Horace Greeley’s memoir, “Recollections of a Busy Life,” was at some point owned by someone who enjoyed drawing. Both front and rear endpapers feature sketches! No clues as to whether these were drawn from life, memory, or pure imagination.
September 10, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Reposted by UNR Special Collections and University Archives
In the Sep 4, 1863 Territorial Enterprise, Mark Twain expressed his preference for the name Lake Bigler over Lake Tahoe. t.co/RupjeI0sch
"I hope some bird will catch this Grub the next time he calls Lake Bigler by so disgustingly sick and silly a name as "Lake Tahoe.""
September 5, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Reposted by UNR Special Collections and University Archives
It was wonderful to speak with Elspeth Olson about her recent portal article, "Scaffolded Assignments and Embedded Archivists: A Critical Assessment of the Themes in Archival Instruction Literature, 2013-2023." Read the full article on our preprint site.
@lunabrd.bsky.social @unr-scua.bsky.social
portal Interview with Elspeth Olson
Elspeth Olson, Assistant Professor and Outreach Public Service Archivist at the University of Nevada, Reno, discussed her article "Scaffolded Assignments and Embedded Archivists: A Critical…
youtu.be
September 1, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Normally, rodents in the archives are a huge problem - but in this case they’re just super cute! This half-page Japanese print is one of a number of Asian artworks on our uncatalogued backlog shelves - including copies of works by masters of the art form like Hokusai and Harunobu.
August 27, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by UNR Special Collections and University Archives
Archival appraisal is a craft and it can be taught.

My and @boxreceiver.bsky.social 's chapter on archival appraisal is available as a pre-print here: digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/libr_pubs/77/. It's very, very practical and it centers our values. We would love your feedback!
Appraising Records
This chapter operationalizes archival appraisal as a values-driven, lifecycle activity that begins in pre-custodial conversations and continues through transfer, accessioning, stabilization, descripti...
digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu
August 25, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Very excited for our colleagues at the Jon Bilbao Basque Library - featured in a story by the BBC!! www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
How Europe's oldest language ended up on US trees
The US' Basque immigrants turned to sheepherding in order to survive. Today, their legacy can be found in unique wooden tree carvings they left throughout the American West.
www.bbc.com
August 21, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Y'ALL. AMAZING.
August 20, 2025 at 4:05 PM