About the University Libraries

Learn more about our goals, missions, and accomplishments

Our Mission, Vision, and Values

University Libraries Showcase
Views of public and staff spaces in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center and DeLaMare Library, including operation of devices like MARS. It also includes a scene of people working in the Makerspace at DeLaMare.

Dean Cardwell standing next to the stacks in the Knowledge Center.

Dean’s welcome

Welcome to the University Libraries at the University of Nevada, Reno! Our mission is to be partners in the scholarly and creative achievements of students, faculty, and staff; leaders in the academic library community; and contributors to the University’s efforts to become known for academic excellence and positive community engagement. The Libraries’ faculty and staff have been working intentionally to fulfill that mission.

Now that the University has completed its strategic plan, the Libraries is eager to begin our own planning efforts in Fall 2022. Our goal is to meet the changing needs of our faculty, students, and staff in creative, innovative, and thoughtful ways. In addition to strategic planning, we will participate in the 2022-2023 MISO Survey to learn more about how we are meeting that goal. Results from the survey will help us gauge how important library and technology services are for our communities of users as well as their level of satisfaction with them. Check back here for more information about both of these projects.

Catherine Cardwell, Dean, Libraries

Examples of our mission at work

Student looking at a book in the stacks of DeLaMare Library

Supporting Open Educational Resources

Our team of expert subject librarians and campus partners is working to lower the cost of education and increase equitable access to course materials. Thanks to a 2021 IMLS grant, the team provided an opportunity for a cohort of 10 university faculty members from a wide range of academic disciplines to adopt or adapt an Open Educational Resources (OER) for one of their classes. For the 2022-2023 academic year, the Office of the Provost is funding a second cohort of faculty to integrate OERs into their courses and the team’s participation in AACU’s Institute on Open Education Resources.

Learn more about our OER work
Screenshot of the Hidden Cave virtual museum showing artifacts and a screen with a related interview.

Creating unique VR experiences

The Libraries’ @One Digital Media Team partnered with the Director of the Churchill County Library to design and develop a VR-based, immersive and accessible experience highlighting the wonders of Hidden Cave. The VR experience puts users in the shoes of Indigenous people who have used Hidden Cave for thousands of years. The project was funded by a $100,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records.

Members of the digitization team working in the Libraries lab.

Digitizing significant historical collections

The Libraries recently added 62 historic snow sample notebooks from the James Edward Church Papers to its online Digital Archive. The earliest of these materials date back to 1907 and capture Church’s groundbreaking work sampling snow in the Sierra Nevada. At the Libraries, we hold Dr. Church’s papers, including the records he generated during his groundbreaking snow studies. Up until now, these materials have been available only for viewing onsite. This project expands the reach of his work, exposes the longitudinal data sources held in the archives, and presents his records and journals for renewed study and worldwide access.

Attendees to the Western Shoshone Collection event exploring materials in the Special Collections reading room.

Providing leadership for Protocols for Native American Archival Materials Alignment (PNAAM)

PNAAM is an established set of ethical guidelines for stewarding Indigenous materials held by non-tribal archives. The Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) department is actively undertaking a project to align itself with these protocols. SCUA faculty and staff are identifying tribal affiliations and potentially culturally sensitive materials in our archival collections.

Student interns working with historic materials in the Basque Library

Participating in the Basque Training Program

The Libraries’ Jon Bilbao Basque Library, along with the College of Liberal Arts’ Center for Basque Studies, recently welcomed three graduates from the University of the Basque Country to the United States. The graduates visited the University for six months as they worked to complete professional internships with the Basque Library and the Center as part of the Basque Country’s highly competitive Global Training Program.

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