Get your news here! Libraries news subscriptions available for the Mason community

In addition to the Libraries’ numerous databases containing historic newspapers and past issues of news journals, did you know that we also have a number of direct news subscriptions for current issues? These include the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Business Journal, and more!

With the Libraries’ subscriptions, Mason faculty, staff, and students can set up accounts with select news sources and avoid hitting that pesky paywall or maxing out your limited articles per month. You can also sign up for email alerts to get timely and relevant news delivered right to your inbox (check out this feature for the Washington Business Journal!).

For a list of our direct news subscriptions, with information on how to access them and/or set up individual accounts, visit our News infoguide at https://infoguides.gmu.edu/news. The guide also contains a tab listing our major news databases – sites that collate news from a variety of sources and which are typically updated daily.

Libraries is new home for Appalachian Trail Conservancy archives

FAIRFAX, VA – May 23, 2022: The George Mason University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is pleased to announce the donation of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) collection — a significant addition to SCRC’s archival collections of national importance.

The largest donation of materials received by SCRC to date, the core of the collection contains a broad array of items, including maps, letters, trail shelter logs, legal documents, publications, internal corporate documents, and images as well as Trail ephemera, such as patches, signs, and more. Dating from prior to the ATC’s beginnings in 1925 through the present, the collection encompasses more than 850 linear feet of unprocessed materials related to the famous Appalachian Trail (A.T.) spanning the East Coast from Maine to Georgia. The materials correspondingly document the growth of the ATC from a small confederation to a volunteer-centered but fully staffed nonprofit with a unique mission and international support.

Dean of Libraries and University Librarian John Zenelis comments, “The Libraries is pleased to enter this partnership with the ATC and become the home of this remarkable collection – a significant cultural heritage collection, with great promise for research and scholarship. We are committed to ensuring that best curatorial and archival practices are applied in managing both the physical materials (and eventually digital aspects) of the collection.”

About the collection, ATC President and CEO Sandra Marra shares, “The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is proud to partner with George Mason University to ensure these important artifacts of Appalachian Trail history are preserved. Each of these items helps tell the story of the vision that set the construction of the Trail in motion, the thousands of volunteers and advocates who helped make the Trail a reality, and the continued efforts to help ensure the Trail continues to benefit us all for generations to come.”

The history of the A.T. is not only one of outdoor exploration but also of many important facets of twentieth century U.S. history. A close examination of this history quickly leads one to considerations of the conservation movement, economic developments, indigenous peoples, race relations, gender ideology, technological advances, and more.

Lynn Eaton, director of SCRC, remarks, “This is an amazing collection, reflecting a strong area of research for scholars to explore for years to come. Once we have processed, arranged, and described the materials, we look forward to welcoming students and researchers to examine them. One of SCRC’s main tenets is supporting the research and teaching mission of the university, and this collection will be no exception.” While in the ATC’s care, more than two dozen books and dissertations were derived from these archives.

As the centennial of the ATC approaches, the Libraries is investigating opportunities to support the organization and preservation of these unique and historically important items. We look forward to recognizing this vital national heritage in the future with a fully processed and accessible collection.

Full press release

Center for Mason Legacies faculty present to local history chapters

George Oberle (CML director, assistant term professor, and history librarian) and Anthony “Tony” Guidone (history doctoral candidate) delivered a presentation to the Fairfax Resolves and George Mason Chapters of the Sons of the American Revolution on 14 May 2022. This presentation shared the progress of the ongoing work of the digital edition of the Mason Family Papers produced by the Center for Mason Legacies.

Arlington Campus Library is now Mason Square Library

With the recent renaming of George Mason University’s Arlington campus to Mason Square, the University Libraries is correspondingly updating our library name. The Arlington Campus Library will now be called Mason Square Library.

Last month, the university hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in Arlington and announced the rebranding of the Arlington campus to Mason Square. The new name reflects our campus’ growing stature as the new centerpiece of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, and our campus’ place as a new model for an urban destination of learning, collaboration, and economic development. The full press release can be found here.

Exhibition + reception celebrating university’s 50th anniversary

All are invited to join the Libraries on Wednesday, May 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. for a program celebrating our latest exhibition and the university’s 50th anniversary. The event will take place in Fenwick Library, Room 2001, and will feature a presentation, reception, and time to tour the exhibition. RSVPs are welcome.

“We are Mason: A Student History” is curated by the Special Collections Research Center. The exhibition, which opened in April, will run through December 2022. “We are Mason” illustrates Mason’s first fifty years as an independent university, with a focus on Mason’s students. You can read more about the exhibition at the following: