Site Visit Report: UNLV Library Special Collections & Bauman Rare Books: This project’s assignment required me to visit a rare book collection and write a travelogue-style report. I described my journey to the collection and its place within the larger institution. I included details on the location, size, scope, arrangement, access policies, outreach activities, and collection highlights. I also interviewed the special librarians at the library and the curator at the rare books store to discuss how materials are acquired and managed.

I chose to visit two locations near me, the Special Collections Department at UNLV and Bauman Rare Books, a rare books retail outlet, and compare the two.

Nivia Balsera: “I’m currently working as the Library Associate for the Moapa Town Library, a tiny, rural library in Moapa, Nevada, about an hour northeast of Las Vegas. I’ve been working at this small library for almost 3 years now, although I’ve been working for the Las Vegas Clark County Library District for almost 10 years. I never thought that being a librarian would be something I’d want to do, and I had no idea how many different community needs a public library served, aside from a place to get books and movies, so now I’m very glad that I’ve chosen to pursue an MLIS from SJSU. I’ve been slowly working on this MLIS program over the course of the past several years, but I hope to graduate in Fall 2026.”