PROFESSIONAL RESUME

Robert E. Blesse
1311 Humboldt Street Reno, NV 89509 (702) 322-3166



ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
University of California, Los Angeles
Master of Library Science Degree - 1974
Certificate of Specialization in Academic Libraries

California State University, Chico
M.A. Degree - 1972, English
B.A. Degree - 1970, English major, Anthropology minor
California State Teaching Credential, 1971



EMPLOYMENT
University of Nevada, Reno

Head, Special Collections Department, University Library, 1981-present
Director, The Black Rock Press, University of Nevada, Reno. 1986-present

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Head, Special Collections Department, University Library, 1978-81
Acting Head, Serials Department, 1979-80
Assistant Collection Development Librarian, 1977-78

Free-lance book and graphic design, 1994-present.

Holmes Book Company
Oakland, California

Library Representative, 1972-73, 1974-77


RESPONSIBILITIES
Head, Special Collections Department,
University of Nevada, Reno Library

Administration and operation of the Special Collections Department and University Archives of the Library, University of Nevada, Reno. Overall management of the department, including 4 classified staff members. Establishment of policy, goals and objectives and the development of operational procedures. Oversee the daily operation of the department, including service to users, security, cataloging and processing of materials. Acquisition of materials for the department's collections through purchase. Solicitation of donation of materials such as manuscripts, photographs, and other primary source materials. Preparation of rare books for cataloging. Responsible for informing the university community and the general public about the services and resources of both the Special Collections Department and the general UNR libraries. Done through public speaking, orientations, instruction and the production of various informational publications.

Assist the Director, Public Relations and Development in the management of the activities and administration of the Friends of the University Library.


Director, The Black Rock Press
University of Nevada, Reno Library

Responsible for the overall administration of the Black Rock Press, the University of Nevada, Reno’s Book Arts Program. Teaching Art/Library Science 381, The History and Practice of Printing. Design and production of limited edition letterpress printed books and broadsides; Rainshadow Editions books of contemporary literature. Planning, budgeting, financial accounting, manuscript acquisition, marketing, sales, public relations, exhibitions.


GRANT AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY
International Game Technology grant ($3,500) and donation from private individual ($1,500) to Black Rock Press for publication of book, Straight from the Heart. 1996.
C.I.T.Y. 2000 Reno Arts Commission publication grant to Black Rock Press. $2,000. 1995.
Donations from Gregor Peterson for Black Rock Press position. $75,000. 1993-95.
National Historical Publications and Records Commission. $54,000. Grant to catalog manuscript collections for the Nevada Women’s Archives. 1995.
Wellesley College grant to Black Rock Press for publication of book by Marjorie Agosin. 1994.
C.I.T.Y. 2000 Reno Arts Commission grant to Black Rock Press to publish two books. 1994.
Donation from individual, Gregor Peterson, for Black Rock Press photo portfolio project. $1,600. 1994.
Library Services and Construction Act, Title II. $23,300 grant. Continuation of UNR Newspapers and Serials Project. 1994.
Library Services and Construction Act, Title II. $22,000 grant. Continuation of UNR Newspapers and Serials Project. Award for 1993.
The John B. Snow Trust grant for $5,000 for Nevada Women’s Archives. 1993.
Library Services and Construction Act, Title II. $8,000 grant. Continuation of UNR Newspapers and Serials Project. 1992.
Library Services and Construction Act, Title II. $15,174 grant. UNR Newspapers and Serials Project. 1991.
Library Services and Construction Act, Title II. $12,063 grant. Nevada Photograph Cataloging Project. 1991.
Library Services and Construction Act, Title II. $4,000 grant. Microfilming Nevada Directories. 1991.

Library Services and Construction Act, Title III. $5,268 grant. Nevada Historical Directories Project. Project Director. 1988-89.
Sierra Arts Foundation. $1,000. Lake Tahoe Rephotographic Project. 1987.
National Endowment for the Humanities. $127,480. Nevada Newspaper Project. Project Director. 1986-88.
National Endowment for the Humanities. $7,394. Nevada Newspaper Planning Project. Project Director. 1984-85.
Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. $9,000. To organize, catalog, and preserve the architectural records of Frederic J. DeLongchamps. Project Director. 1984.
Society of American Archivists. To fund a visit by a consultant to evaluate conservation and preservation practices and environmental conditions in the Special Collections Department and University Archives. 1982.
University of Nevada, Reno Foundation. $2,500. To catalog historical photographs of Nevada in the Special Collections Department. Project Director. 1982.
National Historical Publications and Records Commission. $34,974. To catalog manuscript collections dealing with the Lake Tahoe region. Project Director. 1981-82

PAPERS, LECTURES, AND OTHER PRESENTATIONS
“Graphic Design Demystified.” Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the Society of California Archivists. 1994.

Paper on Nevada mining resources presented to the annual meeting of the California Conference for the Promotion of History, October, 1993.

"Shoring Up the Foundation: Regulating the Archival Quality of Land and Architectural Records." Session leader, commentator, presenter. Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting. 1991.

“Handprinting and Typefounding.” Boise, Idaho Chapter of Printing House Craftsmen’s Association. 1990.

“A History of Letterpress Printing and the Black Rock Press." Sacramento Book Collectors Club. September, 1990.

“Letterpress Printing: Its History and Practice.” Boise, Idaho Chapter of Printing House Craftsmen’s Association. 1989.

“Preserving and Collecting Historical Photographs.” Ely Historical Society Lecture Series. 1988.

“Architectural Records.” Session leader, commentator. Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting. 1987.

ALA/ACRL/Rare Books and Manuscripts Section Open House. Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting. Coordinator and presenter. 1987-88.

“Architectural Records: A Regional Look.” Conference of Intermountain Archivists Annual Conference. 1987.

“The Nevada Newspaper Project, A History.” Nevada Library Association Annual Conference. 1987.

“Collection and Use of Political Papers.” Conference of Intermountain Archivists Annual Conference. 1986.

“Writing Skills for Archivists.” Session Chair and commentator. Society of California Archivists, Annual Conference. 1986.

“The Nevada Newspaper Project: The Present and the Future.” Nevada Newspaper Conference. 1985.

“Using dBase II for Cataloging and Circulation Statistics.” Society of California Archivists/Conference of Intermountain Archivists Joint Annual Conference. 1985.

“Organization, Cataloging, and Storage of Architectural Records. Society of California Archivists/Conference of Intermountain Archivists Joint Annual Conference. 1985.

“Preservation and Conservation of Historical Documents and Photographic Materials.: Alpine county Historical Society. 1984.

“Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Children’s Books.” Literature/Writing Class. Old College, Reno. 1984.

“Nevada History and Its Resources.” Oakland Museum History Guild. 1984.

KUNR Radio, UNR. Discussion of historical photographs and photography in Nevada. 1984.

“The Photographer as Technical - the development of photography.” Churchill County Museum. 1984.

“Acquisition—The Search and Rescue Mission.” Society of California Archivists Annual Meeting. 1984.

“Organization, Cataloging and Preservation of Architectural Drawings.” Conference of Intermountain Archivists. Annual Meeting. 1984.

“History of Book Illustration.” Nevada Museum of Art. 1984.

“History of Printing.” Sierra Nevada Chapter of Printing House Craftsmen. 1984.

“Preservation of Local History Materials.” Conference of Intermountain Archivists. Annual Meeting. 1984.

“Preservation and Interpretation of Historical Photographs.” UNR Research and Educational Planning Center Workshop. 1982.

“Resources in the UNR Library’s Special Collections Department. UNR Research and Educational Planning Center Workshop. 1982.

“Preservation and Care of Historical Photographs.” Nevada State Genealogical Society. 1982.


TEACHING


Art/Library Science 483. “History and Practice of Printing.” 1982-Present.

Art 490. Internship (in the book arts). 1986-Present.

Art 408. Independent Study (in the book arts). 1986-Present.

“Manuscript Acquisition.” Western Archives Institute. University of California, Berkeley. 1993.

“History and Practice of Printing.” Elderhostel - UNR. 1993.

Summer workshop in printing and design. UNR. Summer, 1992.

“Manuscript Acquisition.” Western Archives Institute. University of California, Los Angeles. 1990.

“History and Practice of Printing.” Elderhostel - UNR. 1988.

“Manuscript Acquisition.” Western Archives Institute. University of California, Los Angeles. 1987.

Library Science. 135. “Use of the Library.” Spring, Fall, 1983.


PUBLISHED WRITINGS AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES


Stopping Time: A Rephotographic Survey of Lake Tahoe. With Peter Goin and Elizabeth Raymond. University of New Mexico Press, 1990.

“Nevada’s Evolving Landscape.” In Nevada Public Affairs Review. No 1, 1988.

Introduction to Paiute, by Sessions Wheeler. 1965. Reprinted, 1986. University of Nevada Press.

“Nevada Periodicals.” In Periodicals of the Midwest & West, An Annotated Survey, edited y Carolyn J. Mueller, 86-88. Ann Arbor: Pierian Press, 1986.

Review of Records Management Handbook for United States Senators and their Repositories. by Karen Dawley Paul. Government Publications Review. 13. (1986):152-3.

Review of Nevada Printing History: A Bibliography of Imprints and Publications, 1858-1880. By Robert D. Armstrong. Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. 26 (Summer 1983): 209-11.

“Preserving the Past.” UNR Frontiers. 2 (June 1982): 10-15.

“The Acquisition of the Paul Laxalt Papers.” Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. 26. (Summer 1983): 148-51.

“The Papers of Senator Paul Laxalt.” Senate History 10 (May 1985): 2-3.

University of Nevada-Reno, The First Century. Reno: University of Nevada-Reno, 1985. Co-authored with James Hulse.

“Robert Herrick.” In Nemanic, Gerald C., ed. Bibliographical Guide to Midwestern Literature. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1981. Co-authored with Charles V. Genthe.


UNIVERSITY SERVICE


University of Nevada, Reno

Hilliard Foundation Committee. CHAIR. 1985-present.
Sven Liljeblad Endowment Committee. 1993-present.
University Arts Committee. 1992-present.
Music Department. Search committee for voice faculty position. 1994.
Mediation Board. 1987-90.
Editorial Board. University of Nevada Press, 1983-87.
Centennial Steering Committee, 1985-86.
Historic Preservation Committee. 1983-85. Chair, 1984-85.
Interdisciplinary Studies Board, 1984-85.
Graduate Advisory Committee - Journalism student Vikki Ford, 1984-87.
Production Development Committee, 1982.
American West Studies Program Committee, 1982.

University of Nevada, Reno Library

Faculty Chair, 1993-present.
Director of Public Relations and Development Search Committee. Chair. 1996.
Business and Government Information Center. Search Committee. 1995.
Co-bibliographer, English. 1993-present.
Instructional Resources Technology Planning Committee, 1994-96.
Storage Committee, 1995-present.
Funding Advisory Group to Dean 1994-95
Director of Public Relations and Development Search Committee. Chair. 1990.
Personnel Committee, 1988-89.
Government Publications Department Librarian Search Committee, 1989.
Government Publications Department Head Search Committee, Chair, 1988.
Library Sign Committee, 1981-90. Chair, 1981-87.
Budget and Planning Committee, Chair, 1982-84, 1985-87.
Joint Committee for Periodic Review, Co-Chair, 1982-83.
Basque Studies Librarian Search Committee, Chair, 1985.
Oral History Program Director Search Committee, Chair, 1983.
Medical Reference Librarian Search Committee, 1983.
Collection Development Committee, 1982-83.


PUBLIC SERVICE


Outside evaluator for numerous National Publications and Records Commission and National Endowment for the Humanities grant applications. 1987-present.

Appointed by Governor of Nevada to:

Nevada Advisory Council on Libraries, 1985-92. Chair, 1986-87.
Nevada State Historical Records Advisory Board, 1985-present.

William F. Harrah Automobile Foundation Library Advisory Committee, Chair, 1985-89.

Consultant to Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, Manuscripts division. Assisted in negotiating deposit agreement for the papers of Senator Alan Cranston. 1987.

Panelist, National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Preservation. To evaluate U.S. Newspaper Program Proposals. Washington, D.C., 1986 and 1987.

Outside evaluator. NEH, Office of Preservation. U.S. Newspaper Program Proposals. 3 times, 1986-87.

Selected to participate in conference in Washington, D. C. on establishing standards for collections of congressional papers. Sponsored by the National Publications and Records Commission. 1985.

Outside evaluator. NEH. Grant proposal to catalog architectural records. 1981.


PROFESSIONAL AND PUBLIC SERVICE ACTIVITIES:

National:

American Library Association - Association of College and Research Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts Section

Manuscript and other Formats Discussion Group. Chair, 1984-91.

ALA/Society of American Archivists Joint Committee to Revise the ACRL Guidelines
for Archives and Manuscripts. Chair, 1988-91.

RBMS-GODORT-MAGERT Joint Committee to study government documents as rare books.
1987-89.

Security Committee, 1985-87.

Ad Hoc Committee to survey the interests of manuscript curators. 1982-84.

Society of American Archivists

Congressional Papers Roundtable, 1986-91. Co-Chair, 1987-88; Chair, 1988-89.

Editor, issue of AmericanArchivist on architectural records.

Society of California Archivists

President, 1987-88.
Vice president, 1986-87.
Council Member, 1985-89.
Chair, Local arrangements. 1985 SCA annual meeting held in Reno on UNR campus.