Su Kim Chung

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Head of Special Collections Public Services, University Libraries

Expertise: Las Vegas and Southern Nevada History, Las Vegas Entertainment, Preservation and Archiving, Showgirls

Biography

Su Kim Chung has been immersed in the history of Las Vegas since she began work in the UNLV Libraries' Special Collections Division in 1999.

As head of public services, she is in charge of reference, outreach, and instruction for archival collections and photographs about Las Vegas and southern Nevada history. Chung also serves as curator of the UNLV Libraries' entertainment collections, where she works on documenting the history of the showgirls and the Las Vegas production show. As part of this work, she has conducted oral history interviews of former dancers and showgirls and moderated community panel presentations on the history of the Las Vegas showgirl and production shows.

Chung is the author of the popular photo book Las Vegas Then and Now, now in its third edition, and also writes a monthly photo history column for dtlv.com

Education

Ph.D., Information Studies, UCLA
MLIS, Archives and Preservation, UCLA
M.A., History, California State University, Fresno
B.A., History, California State University, Fresno

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history, Las Vegas, popular culture

Su Kim Chung In The News

The Secret History of Vegas’ Most Influential Women

City Cast Las Vegas

March is Women's History Month, so we’re putting your Vegas knowledge to the test: How well do you know the women who shaped our city? We bring back a conversation between Vogue Robinson and Dr. Su Kim Chung, Head of Public Services in Special Collections and Archives at UNLV Libraries. She shares the stories of five iconic women who helped shape the city — and whose impact every Las Vegan should know.

What Real Life Showgirls Think About Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl

Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl pays homage to the rip-roaring lifestyle of showgirls. TIME called up showgirls who have performed in Las Vegas, the longtime capital of showgirl shows in the U.S., to see how they think the album captured the life of a showgirl and what the life of a showgirl is really like.

Hidden in plain sight: UNLV faculty highlight forgotten history of AAPI performers in Vegas

When you think of "Old Vegas," the icons that probably come to mind are names like Elvis, Sinatra and Wayne Newton. However, there were many Asian American and Pacific Islander performers then, too, who played an integral role in shaping entertainment on the Las Vegas Strip in the mid to late 1900s.

Gia Coppola Returns to the Theater with The Last Showgirl with: «An Honor to Work with Pamela Anderson»

Cosmopolitan

Las Vegas has always been the epitome of glitz and excess, but there was a time when it became the birthplace of the greatest entertainment shows inspired by the famous dancers of the Folies Bergère in Paris.