The Harrah’s Entertainment Corporate Archives (dating from 1811 to 2004 with the bulk of the materials dating from 1940 to 2000) contain the promotional and corporate files of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. and its predecessors, as well as Bill Harrah’s personal papers and card game collection. The materials were compiled and developed as a corporate archive by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.’s Corporate Communications Department. The collection is primarily comprised of casino and employee periodicals, reports, manuals, promotional files, ephemera, and newspaper articles that document Bill Harrah’s casinos in Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe as well as Harrah’s Inc., Holiday Inns, Inc., Holiday Corporation, the Promus Companies, and Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Also included are photographs that document the construction of Harrah’s properties, business operations, the people who worked and performed at Harrah’s properties, and Bill Harrah’s automobile collection. The collection also contains Bill Harrah’s collection of playing cards and card games. Also included are photographs of the Harrah family.
The websites archived in this series were selected by UNLV Special Collections and Archives staff to represent a broad overview of community reaction to COVID-19 in the Las Vegas Valley from March 2020 to July 2021. Websites from local news media, educational institutions, the hospitality industry, arts and entertainment industry, municipal governments, public health departments, and UNLV are represented in this series.
Archival Collection
UNLV Libraries Collection of Digital Communication about COVID-19 in Las Vegas
Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American & Pacific Islander Web Archive is comprised of archived websites captured from 2022 to 2024 that are related to UNLV University Libraries community documentation project, "Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American & Pacific Islander Oral History Project." Archived websites represent local Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) civic and service organizations and individuals that have been interviewed as part of the oral history project. The collection includes archived websites of organizations such as the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Asian-American Advocacy Clinic, Asian Community Development Council, and Thai Culture Foundation. Archived websites of individuals represented in this collection includes entrepreneur, real estate investor, and motivational speaker Lisa Song Sutton and magician Juliana Chen.
The UNLV Black Lives Matter Web Archive (2020) is comprised of two statements and one op-ed which were published shortly after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and the subsequent rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. The statements come from Thom Reilley, Chancellor of Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), and Marta Meana, Interim President of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Both statements express NSHE and UNLV's message of solidarity with the Black community and affirm the University's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The op-ed was written by UNLV alumna Jessica Walters Murrey who is a "social change and communication expert." The op-ed acknowledges Murrey's pain and grief and also outlines actionable steps that non-Black individuals can take to support the Black community.
The Las Vegas Archive Memorabilia and Promotional Materials (approximately 1960-2019) contains reproductions of photographs taken of historic landmarks around Las Vegas, Nevada and entertainers like Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Liberace performing in Las Vegas. The collection also contains digital photographs from 2008 of an airship displaying an advertisement for the M Resort Spa and Casino. There is also memorabilia from the MGM Grand Hotel including a gaming guide, decks of playing cards, and a commemorative drinking glass. The collection also includes several historic postcards depicting Las Vegas, political campaign buttons for local Nevada elections, and greeting cards from U.S. Representative Jim Santini.
The History of Emergency Medical Services in Nevada Oral History Interviews (approximately 2012-2013) were conducted by Elwood L. Smith and John Kasinger and used for their published work, "Nevada EMS: A History of Emergency Medical Services in Nevada." The interviews were gathered by individuals, groups, and sometimes generations of emergency medical personnel working in the state of Nevada. Every county in the state is represented in the interviews.
Oral history interview with "Tommy" conducted by Dennis McBride on April 28, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay Archives Oral History Project. Thompson discusses his life as a gay man, his parents’ acceptance despite being heavily religious, and writing poems for the Las Vegas Bugle for many years.