Explore and investigate our primary sources!
We offer a full range of unique, rare, and special materials for research, re-use, teaching, and learning.
About our materials
Our unique and special materials focus on Northern Nevada and the Great Basin and comprise over 13 million items in more than 3,000 collections and over 36,000 publications.
Our collection strengths include:
- Industry and business
- Politicians and political organizations
- Activism and advocacy
- Environment and public lands
- Tourism and recreation
- The University of Nevada, Reno
- Nevada literature
- Book Arts
What you’ll find in our collections
Thousands of collections or archival materials such as correspondence, maps, diaries, reports, digital files, and ephemera. Our collections stretch over 3 miles!
We are the official home for historical records, documents, publications and other materials pertaining to the operation of the University of Nevada, Reno, its colleges and schools, and all other agencies formally related to it.
More than 1 million photographs including the Reno Gazette-Journal Photograph Collection as well as the collections of noted landscape and Northern Nevada photographers.
More than 36,000 published items from rare books to current editions, including our extensive collection of artists’ books.
More than 12 million digital files, emails, and scanned items.
More than 1,000 boxes of oral histories, films, and other audiovisual materials.
Start your search
Books and Journals
Search the library catalog
Archival collections
Search guides to all our archives
Digital materials
Access digital selections from our archives
Would you like to donate to our collections?
Do you think you have materials that might fit our collections? We’d love to hear from you.
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Contact us
Chemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Building (historic), 1920. G. Wharton James Collection (UNRA-P641), UNRA-P641-72.
Horses and Casino Billboard, 1962. Gus Bundy Papers (85-20), UNRS-P1985-08-22756.
Liber Chronicarum (Nuremberg Chronicle) (1493), D11 .S32 1493, page 11.
Telegram to John Sparks from Theodore Roosevelt, February 7, 1908. Sparks Family Papers, 2015-24_2_1_13_3.
Nobel H. Getchell Library, ca. 1995, University Archives, UNRA-P3558-1
Letter and envelope to Benton H. Sparks from father John Sparks. Sparks Family Papers (2015-24), 2015-24_3_3_2_1.