Business Commons^™

Appearances Do Matter! What Libraries Can Learn From Clinton Kelly, Nancy E. Fawley

Library Faculty Publications

One could easily mistake Clinton Kelly’s closing keynote presentation at ACRL 2011 in Philadelphia last March as light fare. Kelly, cohost of TLC’s What Not To Wear, spoke enthusiastically about the importance of one’s appearance and the necessity of making an extra effort in the way individuals present themselves. His keynote address, and the fact that a fashion expert was a speaker at a conference for librarians, sparked debates on Twitter and in the blogosphere.

Do appearances matter? I say they do and add that this applies to buildings and objects, as well. Academic libraries, especially, could benefit from some …

Financial Stability And Casino Debt, David G. Schwartz, Eugene M. Christiansen

Library Faculty Publications

Casino operators have always borrowed money to construct and improve their resorts. Beginning in 1999, however, the Las Vegas-based companies that dominate gambling in Nevada and many other jurisdictions began taking on unprecedented levels of debt. This debt load escalated from 2005 to 2009, and, though it has since leveled off, it has left casino operators more highly leveraged than ever before. Companies with such high levels of debt have consequently high interest payments, which leads to less money available for capital investment; it also makes them susceptible to default, should revenues weaken (as casino revenues did from 2008 onward). …

Pyramids Of Pink Shrimp: A Brief History Of Las Vegas Dining, 1940s-1970s, Su Kim Chung

Library Faculty Publications

Restaurant dining has always been one of the great attractions of Las Vegas. From its budget buffets and 99 cent shrimp cocktails, to the showrooms of yesterday's production shows, and today's haute cuisine restaurants run by celebrity chefs, dining has added a rich and tasty dimension to the Las Vegas tourist experience. Local residents have also long been attracted to the wide variety of restaurants that have grown along with the city since the construction of the first hotel/casino resort (El Rancho Vegas) on old Highway 91 in 1941. Hotels along the Las Vegas Strip (and a few downtown) have …