Special Collections comprise books, maps, photographs, and manuscript collections emphasizing the environment, history, culture, and peoples of New Mexico and greater Las Vegas area, as well as the high plains of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
The Donnelly Library provides access to historical New Mexico newspapers, chiefly in microfilm format, in the Special Collections rooms. Additionally, the library houses the Mills Collection, which comprise historical newspapers from the Southwest (chiefly New Mexico) which were donated to the university in 1946 by Byron T. Mills.
The Donnelly Library is the repository of record for the Las Vegas Optic and houses archival copies of historical issues and photographic materials related to the publication.
A collection of our most valuable books, mainly by virtue of age or scarcity such as those printed before 1600, limited or first editions, out of print material of consequence, or when autographed by important or local authors.
This collection of materials, donated to the Donnelly Library by James Arrott, documents the history of Ft. Union. Included in the collection are transcribed copies of documents predominantly from the National Archives and Records Administration, as well as original archival materials documenting Ft. Union (correspondence, photographs, and ephemera).
This collection of photographs documents people, events, and locations in and around Las Vegas, NM. The collection was created in 1978 by the Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation (CCHP) through a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities. Images in this collection are duplications of original images from publications, public institutions (including the Donnelly Library and the Las Vegas Museum/Rough Rider Memorial Collection), and private collections. After duplication, it is presumed that the originals were returned to the owners. The Donnelly Library can only provide permission to publish for those items that originated in the library's collections.
All images in this collection are reproductions, which may impact the quality of the image and any subsequent reproduction.
This collection was compiled by Dr. Lynn Perrigo, from 1967-1970 he advised the Consolidation Commission during the consolidation of the Town of Las Vegas and the City of East Las Vegas. It includes personal notes, correspondence, minutes, drafts, maps, and ballots.
The contents of this collection are from former vertical files in the reference collection and donations from Lynn I. Perrigo. Contents include items of interest primarily related to New Mexico and the Southwest.
This collection comprises material on Fort Union National Monument, the Santa Fe Trail, the Santa Fe Trail Association, the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, and Corazón de los Caminos, a chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association. Diana Stein, a well-known book dealer and the proprietor of Los Artesanos Bookstore in Las Vegas, New Mexico, collected it.
The material on Fort Union National Monument dates from the 1950s, when the monument was established, through the 1990s. Ms. Stein assembled much of it during her years as a "Volunteer in the Park," from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. It contains much ephemeral material reflecting the early years of the monument.
The material on the Santa Fe Trail consists of newspaper articles, information on trail-related activities in various communities along the trail, and brochures and pamphlets on trail history.
The material on the Santa Fe Trail Association covers its founding and development from the mid-1980s. It is especially rich in information on the biennial symposia of the association.
The material on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail encompasses its establishment by the federal government/National Park Service, including controversies surrounding its development.
The material on Corazón de los Caminos, a chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association, included a complete run of the newsletter of the chapter and papers concerning the founding of the chapter.