In this interview, conducted for the 50th anniversary of UNLV, Marta Sorkin discusses her family and her experience moving to California, and then to Las Vegas. Sorkin worked at the James R. Dickinson Library at UNLV and later in Lied Library, helping to implement and update various databases, and create displays on current topics. She briefly discusses her involvement with Hillel and the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.
Marta Sorkin begins by reminiscing about her childhood in Far Rockaway Long Island, New York. She details the life her parents lived, which set an example for Marta and her two siblings. Through hard work, advanced education, and involvement in causes that were important to them, they created the template by which Marta lives her life. Marta describes her early work history, which included modeling, sales, library work, and working part time in her father's dry-cleaning plant. She and her daughter were living with her parents for a time in California, and they visited Las Vegas on weekends. It was during one of those visits that Marta met her second husband-to-be. They eventually married and decided to settle in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Marta enrolled at UNLV, became involved with the Preservation Association of Clark County, and volunteered at the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. In addition, she completed her BA and MA degrees at UNLV and started working at the university's library. She details her work there, including creating display cases, working in the reference section, doing research for students and faculty, and compiling interviews. Marta also describes the fundraisers she spearheaded to help raise money for the various societies she was involved with: non-events, pancake breakfasts, dinners, and dance and band performances. In her closing comments she mentions an interview she did for Ralph Roske's class and expresses her appreciation for the career she's had at UNLV.
The Blue Diamond Mine Corporate Records (1918-2005) consist of operational and organization records of the gypsum mining and milling operations located in southwest Clark County, Nevada. Materials include operational records related to individual boring sites at the mine; milling operations and statistics; and equipment operations and statistics, including maps, field notebooks, and photographs. There are also daily, weekly, and monthly organizational records related to employee work schedules and safety reports for the mining operations, including accident reports and a safety education training program.
The Yucca Mountain Environmental Safety Collection (1970-2011) consists of reports and impact studies collected by Clark County's Nuclear Waste Division library for documenting Yucca Mountain's potential health and safety risks to Southern Nevada. The reports contain documents pertaining to potential environmental, health, financial, and safety risks from the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, which is located in Nye County, Nevada. The collection contains scientific and social studies in support of and opposition to the site. The bulk of the collection includes licensing reports, site selection studies, and impact studies from transporting, storing, and handling radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
The William S. Park Photograph Collection (approximately 1870-1960) consists of black-and-white photographic prints and negatives of the families of William S. Park, John S. Park, and John William Park, as well as photographs of the Thomas children, half-siblings of John William Park's daughter Virginia. The majority of the images show locations in Las Vegas, Nevada with a smaller number taken in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Colorado, and California. Also included are three photograph albums of William S. and John William Park as children.
The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History Records (1939-2003) detail the creation of the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History in Las Vegas, Nevada founded by Richard H. Brooks, a professor of anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The records are comprised primarily of correspondence between Brooks and members of the Southwestern Anthropological Association (SWAA), the Society for California Archaeology (SCA), and the meetings and exhibitions of the Nevada State Museum. The collection also contains financial statements that describe expenses for supplies, research, and excursions. Also included are anthropological, archaeological, and historical publications, as well as administrative files and Richard Brooks' correspondence with the Nevada Archaeological Survey (NAS). The collection also includes architectural floor plans for the Classroom and Physical Education, the original space that was converted into the museum in 1980, and plans for the redesign of the Barrick Museum and the Harry Reid Environmental Research Center addition.