UNLV Launches New Digital Collection: Nevada Test Site Oral History Project

Finally finished another collection!

The University Libraries are pleased to announce the launch of a new digital collection:

The Nevada Test Site Oral History Project

The Nevada Test Site Oral History Project documents the remembered past of persons affiliated with and affected by the Nevada Test Site during the era of Cold War nuclear testing. Through the Libraries' partnership with the UNLV College of Liberal Arts, a wide range of oral history interviews were organized to be presented in an digital collection representing diverse points of view including: scientists and engineers; labor and support personnel; military personnel and corporate executives; Native American leaders; peace activists and protesters; Nevada ranchers and communities downwind of the test site. The Nevada Test Site Oral History Project was directed by Mary Palevsky from September 2003 through July 2007 with funding from U.S. Depts. of Energy and Education. For the academic year 2007-2008 work on final interviews, the digital collection, and project website was supported by the University Libraries and the Department of History.

Nearly 200 full-text searchable transcripts and audio clips are now available in this digital collection. Project URL:http://digital.library.unlv.edu/ntsohp/.

Cool desert stuff

So in the past couple weeks, I have been insanely busy at work getting ready to launch a new digital collection so the blogging has kind of gone by the wayside. But, there are a couple of cool things that we've learned about or seen in the desert lately:

Extra points to those of you that already know what the heck an atlatl is...good job, you either know your history or were a mammoth hunter in a previous life. I, myself, just starting learning about them when Aaron looked up the World Atlatl Association and we went to Valley of Fire State Park to watch them compete at Atlatl Rock. The atlatl is prehistoric weapon that consists of an atlatl (thrower) and a dart and it has been a remarkably successful tool for man through the centuries. Aaron ended up meeting the World Atlatl Accuracy Champion of 1998 and got a few lessons before he bought his own starter dart and atlatl. In addition to interests in traditional archery, fiddling, and occasionally throwing the atlatl, the folks at the competition were very laid back and friendly. It seems to be a relaxing hobby, as Aaron says, "kinda like an ancient pub game".

We also recently took a drive over to Sedona and camped out in Oak Creek Canyon. On the way back we drove to Tuzigoot National Monument and toured the ruins, which are very cool and worth a look. We also drove through the historic town of Jerome, perched on a cliff above Sedona. Very cool, but watch your step...it's a long way down!

Probably the coolest thing we saw in the desert was near Clarkdale, AZ on the way back to Vegas. Walking along the two-lane highway was a woman on horseback, pulling another horse along behind. Riding slumped over the saddle, perfectly balanced and smiling, was an Australian shepherd hitching a ride home. It was really cute and a glimpse of the West still alive and kicking.

My First Caucus

Hillary Clinton

I'm new to Nevada and I had no idea what a caucus is about. Apparently, no one in Nevada knows what it is supposed to be about either, including the people running the caucus. I'm glad I went and I'm glad that I saw the political process in action, but the verdict on the caucus is- I prefer a primary.

We got there about ten minute to 11:00 (the assigned time) and there was a huge line out the door. There was one table inside with one woman checking people in. Because so many people had to register to vote at the caucus the line was at standstill and there were people freezing (it was 50 degrees-but that's cold for Las Vegans) and there was much complaining out the door. About 11:15 we were moved inside and the organizers tried to make the line move a little faster by splitting us into groups, what an idea, eh? At 11:45 there were still people waiting in line. They also ran out of official preference forms and people had to write on scraps of paper. Or in the dirt or whatever....(kidding).

Then we were all asked to move into the designated corners of the candidate we supported, which meant I had to finally make a decision. I had been undecided because I really supported Bill Richardson and he did not have supporters there. Edwards was also an option I was considering, but he failed to have a showing at our caucus either. Basically we had to choose between Hillary and Obama. We did two rounds and after all the undecideds aligned with one of the two candidates the preference slips were counted. Unfortunately, the slips had to match the head count of physical bodies in the room and some people had left, so this took a bunch of counting and re-counting. The Obama people were very obnoxious and refused to let the Hillary people count their votes and so there was a little fighting for the amusement of the bored caucus-ers. Finally the slips and counts were tallied and it came out Obama 5 delegates and Hillary 4 delegates. The campaigns then asked people to volunteer to be delegates and at long last we were allowed to leave. The process took about two hours.

It was disorganized, it felt weird to be out in public, rather than in an anonymous booth voting, and it was more like a big party than a serious political event. It was kind of fun to talk politics with our "neighbors", but the level of disorganization was a bit discouraging.

So, maybe you want to know who my candidate is...well at this point I am aligned with Hillary. I think that it is important and profound to have a woman running. If Obama is the "change" candidate (which I don't know, since apparently Ron Paul is the candidate with the most supporters that own iPhones), than I guess Hillary is the "experience" candidate and hopefully she will want to leave a positive legacy in a historic presidency. Ultimately, I will vote for either of the candidates when the final election takes place.

So I survived my first caucus and I think I deserve a Bloody Mary. Word has it that Mitt Romney took the Republican caucus and his home state of Nevada by storm...

Democratic Debate Tonight at UNLV!

PJ 258
Originally uploaded by nicetry30

Yes, that is right! All day CNN has been broadcasting live from the field outside the library building. Free t-shirts, Express Yourself booths, press, press and more press! We faculty were just glad to get a parking spot and not be harassed too much by security.

Today at lunch there was a suspicious package that shut down Maryland Parkway, but all in all it has been a relatively smooth day. There are about a million people from the various candidate's supporting groups out in full force with signs and banners. I guess we should have made something like, "Librarians for the Cat-Friendly Candidate" to wave around!

Only about 1,000 seats in Cox Pavilion were open to the staff/faculty/student lottery, and I did not get a ticket. Too bad. But, there have been cameras and press crawling all over, so keep your eye peeled, I may yet make it on the national news!!

Las Vegas in the limelight for something besides OJ and lead-infused poker chips? I'll take it! Watch the debate and hopefully we can get this country back on the right track!

Goodbye October! It's been fun!

Happy Halloween! The candy is ready, now I am just waiting to see if any of the kiddies show up before I eat it all! Reese's, Butterfingers and Whoppers are here for the taking...

This past weekend was packed with a bunch of different things. We left last week and headed up to Oakland, CA where I attended the Oral History Association Annual meeting and gave a presentation about the Nevada Test Site project I have been working on. My husband stayed with a friend of ours and went fishing on the Russian River. On the last night of the conference, I took BART into San Francisco and met my husband and our good friend, Andrew for dinner. I got to check out Andrew's really cool SF house on one of the notorious hills with the fabulous view of the city and experience a tiny bit of the hipster lifestyle. Off the dinner, we had a bit of trouble finding a parking spot, but once the car was situated, we ate a yummy dinner and drank several refreshing Lagunitas beers at Park Chow in one of SF's many bustling neighborhoods. After dinner, we continued our adventure with a driving tour through the Castro neighborhood and a stop at the Bi Rite Creamery where I had the best sundae ever (coffee ice cream, toffee crumbles, hot fudge, almonds, and whipped cream)! Then I was dropped at the BART station and headed back to my hotel. After my presentation, we hit the road to Roseville, CA where we met up with family for the rest of the weekend.

When we arrived in town, we were just in time for our niece and nephew's school Halloween carnival. Once the kids were in costume, we went up to the carnival, where we ate candy, walked around and checked out all the costumes and the kids won goldfish at the carnival games. After the carnival, we all went home and ate pizza (with wine for the grown-ups) and called it a night. Saturday was my official birthday and we spent it watching the kids' soccer games, hiking in the Auburn State Recreation Area along the American River, and catching up on news together before dinner. My relatives decided to take me to Folsom, CA (of Johnny Cash Folsom Prison fame) for my birthday dinner. The town is really cute and done up like an old western town with shops and stuff for tourists. After some browsing, we made a beeline to My Brother Vinny's for eggplant parmesan, zinfindel, and a fabulous view from the outdoor patio. It was a wonderful dinner, and afterwards we couldn't resist going over to Snooks just to make sure we all had plenty of sugar in our systems! Back at home, I opened my birthday presents (thanks guys!!!), ate some yummy apple/blackberry/sour cream pie and watched home videos on DVD (has it really been five years since our wedding???) On Sunday, we had a chill-out day and hung out by the pool, ran over to the mall, and cooked a tri-tip on the grill.

It was a great visit, but all too soon we needed to head back to Nevada. We said our goodbyes, loaded Pocky into the truck and headed out through Tahoe. On the way through northern Nevada, we stopped in Virginia City to walk around and look at the historic townsite. From there it was a long, drive through the Silver State. We got home and relaxed a bit before it was back to work.

Well, I just got my first trick-or-treater (a pirate)...so I guess I better get ready for the onslaught! It has been an awesome October!

View from Turtlehead looking east

View from Turtlehead looking east
Originally uploaded by zenhikers.

I found the Las Vegas fitness nut’s mountain! You find them everywhere: from Boulder to Burlington. It is a mountain that all the hardcore mountain jocks like to trail run while the rest of us trudge up to the summit. I met tons of runners, many hikers, and not a few dogs out for a nice walk. Be warned: this is not an easy hike, even though it is pretty popular. There is over 2000 ft of elevation gain and no real trail (just a bunch of use trails). But the view from the top is worth it!

Calico Tanks Hike at Red Rock

I hiked the Calico Tanks trail with my husband and a couple with a five-year-old boy. The weather was great, the dog loved scambling on the rocks and there was water in the tijana at the top. There is a great view from the ridge of the Vegas Valley and though the hike is short it is very scenic and a decent workout climbing up the canyon.

Date of trip: 9/10/06
Hiked with: friends, children, dog
Location: Nevada, Las Vegas, Red Rock National Recreation Area, Sandstone Quarry parking area
Route: Calico Tanks Trail
Weather: Sunny in the 80’s.
Trip duration: 2.5 miles/ 2 hours
Altitudes/elevations: Trailhead 4335 ft. Highest 4775 ft.
Sightings: Wild burros
Gear: day-hiking
Overall rating: Worth doing!

See more progress on: Red Rock Canyon