Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

08/27/2026

Come and celebrate Virginia Archives Season at the Mason Libraries Archives Fair, hosted by the Special Collections Research Center📚 In attendance will be multiple archival repositories from Virginia and the D.C.-Metro area. This is a great opportunity to learn about local archival resources, research and internship opportunities, and to speak to archives professionals. We hope to see you there!
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When: September 23, 2026 - 12-3 PM
Where: Main Reading Room, Fenwick Library
No registration necessary!

Follow the link to learn more: https://gmu.libcal.com/event/17413398

08/26/2026

Today's features George Mason University's WGMU Radio. Located in the Johnson Center, student-run WGMU has been in operation since 1980. Originally broadcasting from Thompson Hall, the studio moved to the JC with its opening in 1995.

WGMU has provided students with an opportunity to learn broadcasting, programming, news, music, and production. Initially operating as a low-power AM radio station which could only be heard within the boundaries of the Fairfax Campus, WGMU became an online station in 1999. Today, WGMU is part of the Office of Student Media and features music, talk, and other special programming. It is the flagship station for Mason Men's and Women's Basketball, producing student play-by-play broadcasts as part of the Go Mason Digital Network. Images are from the George Mason University yearbook collection (R0132) Broadside student newspaper photographs collection (R0135), and George Mason University Office of University Branding. Mason Libraries George Mason University Alumni Association Mason Student Centers George Mason University Student Media

08/25/2026

Check out our latest blog, where we explore our Motion picture press kits collection. We delve into the history of press kits and the unique features that make them a valuable resource for film history! To learn more about this collection, visit: https://vault217.gmu.edu/?p=12082

08/21/2026

For this month’s we’re continuing to highlight our current exhibit “Pulp Fictions” and diving into a very special edition of the novel “Fahrenheit 451” just in time to celebrate author Ray Bradbury’s birthday tomorrow, August 22.

08/19/2026

? Not exactly, but this week George Mason University hosted the U.S. Chess Federation’s 77th Annual U.S. Open, and, from August 15 through 27, 1976, was the center of the universe for fans and members of the U.S. Chess Federation.

Given that previous and later U.S. Opens were held in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston, it seemed unlikely that a young, small and relatively unknown state university in Fairfax, Virginia would be tapped to host such a prestigious tournament, yet 566 chess masters from around the country and the world filled the Student Union and Krug Hall to vie for a total purse of $10,100 (over 60,000 in today’s dollars). In true Cold War fashion, Leonid Shamkovich and Anatoly Lein of the Soviet Union took the top two spots, each earning $1,675.00 (over $9,800 today). Images are from George Mason University Office of University Relations news clippings and press releases records, , the George Mason University Broadside student newspapers, and Broadside student newspaper photographs, .
Please feel free to share with anyone who might enjoy! US Chess Federation Mason Libraries George Mason University Alumni Association GMU Chess Club

08/13/2026

For today’s , we’re highlighting classic Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen with this Franklin Library leatherbound, illustrated collection of six of his plays. This anthology includes notable Ibsen works A Doll’s House, Ghosts, The Master Builder, The Enemy of the People, Hedda Gabler, and The Wild Duck. Plays of Henrik Ibsen is a part of Franklin Library’s “100 Greatest Books of All Time” series, which published important works of literature from around the world in leatherbound, gilt-edged, illustrated editions for classic lovers to treasure! This book features illustrations that depict key scenes from Ibsen’s plays in vivid detail. Henrik Ibsen was a pioneer playwright in terms of theatrical realism and “drawing room” plays, a kind of play that takes place in an upper or middle-class home where the characters must confront a prescient social problem. Along with other notable 19th century playwrights like Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen is considered one of the most important figures in the development of modernist theater as well.

From: PN35.F7

08/10/2026

Throughout August & September we’ll be highlighting our current exhibit: “Pulp Fictions”. Today we take a closer look into some of the papers, literally, by diving into the art of watermarks.

08/05/2026

At 218,000 square feet and standing 6 stories tall, Horizon Hall is home to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University and dominates the center of the Fairfax Campus. Opening in 2021, Horizon boasts large active learning classrooms, The Mason Innovation Exchange, faculty offices for CHSS departments, and many other amenities. On its south side is Wilkins Plaza named for beloved professor, Roger Wilkins.

Newcomers to Mason might not know that another large building occupied the same space a mere 8 years ago. Robinson Hall, a large multi-purpose building, opened in September 1975 and was named for Clarence Robinson, long-time friend and benefactor to the university.

Many of us probably remember Robinson as a dreary place to take a class because there were very few windows (most of the classrooms and labs were on the interior of the building, while the faculty offices were on the outer edge). There were no study areas (except for the cold hallway floors), and there was only one (very slow) elevator. Most took the stairs (which zig-zagged front and back as you went up and down). But with a rapidly growing enrollment in the 1970s and 80s, Robinson fit the bill at the time. It housed several departments, more than 40 classrooms and labs, and it had a vending machine area that rivaled many classrooms in size. Here are some now-and-then photos of Horizon, its ancestor Robinson, and Wilkins Plaza from both the author and the Broadside photograph collection (R0135). George Mason University Alumni Association
George Mason University College of Humanities and Social Sciences Mason Libraries

07/30/2026

Check out our latest blog, where we explore the origins of Hollywood with our Silent film and early Hollywood ephemera collection! This unique collection includes programs and pamphlets that highlight iconic films and early stars, such as the Gish sisters.

This blog post was written by Maris Tiller, SCRC Research Services GRA. Maris is a Graduate student pursuing her Master’s in Creative Writing with a concentration in fiction. Today in SCRC, we’re going way back in time to the start of Hollywood and American cinema with our Silent film and early ...