In October, Special Collections will be installing exhibits both in the Special Collections exhibit area on the third floor, and in the Whittemore Gallery on the first floor. These exhibits will portray life in the Virginia City area through writings, business records, photographs, and other materials, and will showcase rare items from Special Collections that have never been on display, as well as exceptional artifacts from Virginia City archaeological digs. They will be available for viewing through February 2010.

To enhance your appreciation of the Comstock Era, the UNR Libraries will also be hosting a series of evening “conversations” with noted local experts. All programs are at 7:00 p.m. in the Knowledge Center, and complimentary parking is available in the Brian Whalen Garage. A list of conversations follows:

Bonanza! How Virginia City has touched the world for 150 years
Ron James, Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer discusses how Virginia City became an international crossroads for the world, a place where cutting-edge mining and industrial technologies were invented and a magnet for the greatest literary and artistic talents of the day.
October 7, 2009 - Faculty & Graduate Reading Room

Mark Twain’s Comstock: the Archaeology of Early Virginia City
Don Hardesty, UNR Professor of Anthropology, presents recent archaeological research in Virginia City that sheds light on saloons, opera houses, and ethnic groups on the “Barbary Coast” and beyond, dating to the early years of the Comstock.
Behind the Scenes at Piper’s Opera House
Patty Cafferata, Attorney and Author of More than a Song and a Dance: The Heyday of Piper’s Opera House, describes three generations of Piper’s Opera House buildings, the productions, and the private lives of the owners.
Ocotber 14, 2009 - Faculty & Graduate Reading Room

The Comstock’s Literary Mother Lode
Cheryll Glotfelty, UNR Associate Professor of English, will reveal the riches of Comstock literature and tell some tales about the characters who penned it, writers such as Dan De Quille, Sam Davis and Alf Doten who are known collectively as “The Sagebrush School.”
October 21, 2009 - Faculty & Graduate Reading Room

The Psychoscope: a sensational drama in five acts by R.M. Daggett and J.T. Goodman (1871)
Written and first performed in Virginia City in 1872, The Psychoscope is notable for its futuristic science fiction elements, including its namesake invention which anticipates the development of the lie detector. Considered one of the earliest examples of realism in American theater, The Psychoscope’s frank depiction of a brothel assured its failure to find a wider audience. David Fenimore has adapted this play by Mark Twain’s two close friends, Rolland Mallory Daggett and Joseph Thompson Goodman, for an enjoyable hour of reader’s theater.
Produced by David Fenimore and Ann Medaille.
October 28, 2009 - Wells Fargo Auditorium

We hope to see you there.