Research Library

About

The Nevada Historical Society’s library, photograph, and manuscript collections constitute the largest and most complete repository of materials related to the history of Nevada and the Great Basin.

Anyone interested in Nevada history is welcome to visit and work with the collections.

Materials available include books, newspapers and periodicals, print files, maps, government documents, subject files, ephemera, manuscript collections of diverse individuals and organizations, and over 500,000 photographs. Finding aids, collection descriptions, indexes, and catalogs are available for some collections; staff is on hand to answer questions and help you find the materials you’re looking for.

Research Library Hours

Thursday – Saturday
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
By reservation only

Wondering if NHS has materials on your research topic? Submit a Research Request Form.

If you have not received a response in 3-5 business days, please check your Spam/Junk folder.

Sarah Patton
Archivist
spatton@nevadaculture.org
775-688-1190 ext. 227

Guidelines

Here is a basic list of items not allowed in the room while researching with collection materials:

• Pens, markers, highlighters
• Briefcases, bags, backpacks, and purses
• Coats and hats
• Food and drinks

Lockers are available for visitors. Make sure to have your ID available when checking in.

Before you visit, please be sure to review the following NHS Conditions of Use policy and NHS Internet Policy

Copying/Reproduction Orders

Photocopying is available for $0.25 per page. Staff and volunteers will do all photocopying. You can use your phone to take photos of material for $0.20 per image.

Photocopying of large orders which demand considerable time must be done by private researchers on an arranged fee basis.

Entire collections (including books) will not be photocopied. No more than 42% of a collection can be copied.

If you want to use any material (collection materials, documents, and photographs) for websites, exhibitions, and publications, there will be a usage fee and reproduction charge. You will need to fill out our NHS Rights Reproduction Information and Order FormFor more information, please talk with our staff.

Restrictions

We reserve the right to restrict photocopying of photographs and original documents due to fragility issues and deed restrictions.

Patrons should understand that there are restrictions on many manuscript collections and not everything is available for photocopying.

Patrons should understand that possession of photocopied material does not give them copyrights or publication rights.

Native American Materials

Please visit this page to learn more about how NHS is addressing Native American materials in its collections.

NHS Resources

Online Library Catalog

Online Collections Database

Manuscript Collection Master List

Manuscript Finding Aids

Indexes Available On-Site 

Territorial Enterprise – indexed from 1859-1891
Mining Index Cards – organized by county & mines
Phil Earl Index Cards –  organized by topic
History Index Cards – people, places & things
Nevada Clipping Files – over 2000 folders
Nevada Teachers Cards – 1860 –
Yearbooks
Rare Print Files

Newspapers and Microfilm

Newspapers are an important way to research communities, organizations, and people. NHS has an extensive collection of Nevada and select California newspapers.

Nevada Newspaper List

California Newspaper List

We also have subscriptions to two great research tools, Newspapers.com and Ancestry.com, available on our computer workstations.

Additional Resources

CDNC – California Digital Newspaper Collection

HRPS – Historic Reno Preservation Society

ONE – Online Nevada Encyclopedia

NSLA – Nevada State Library and Archives

UNR – Special Collections