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

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

Official Archives of George Mason University. Sharing manuscripts, rare books, digital records, and so much more!

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05/27/2026

George Mason University has grown exponentially since April 1975. Here we see Fairfax Campus as it looked from the air during that time. From left to right and bottom to top: Parking lots A, B, C and D. These lots have been replaced by Rogers and Whitetop residence halls, Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall, Merten Hall, and Rapahannock Parking Deck. Next are Thompson, Finley, East, West and Krug, Lecture Hall and Fenwick Library A-Wing. At lower right is the P.E. Building (now the RAC) under construction. Enrollment at that time was 5,785. Today Fairfax Campus has built out the entire right-hand part of this photo and has 107 buildings and total enrollment for all 4 campuses is 40,450. From the Broadside photographs ( ) George Mason University Alumni Association Mason Libraries Mason Facilities

05/22/2026

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month for this month’s we’re highlighting the Through Women’s Eyes: Southeast Asian American Women’s Stories records, C0509, an oral history project completed during the 1990s. Follow the link below to search the full finding aid or make an appointment: https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0509

05/20/2026

Back in 1974 George Mason University set up a one-stop-shop for students enrolling for the Fall Semester. The Registrar's Office (then located in today's Krug Hall offered in-person class registration (no other method existed at that time) and a pickup site for the Student Handbook and student identification cards. In these images from the Broadside photograph collection ( ), we see students in line to turn in an index card containing desired course sections to a registration worker. The worker would check a set of cards for the card for those sections to see whether the class was full or open. If open, the student would be admitted to the class. If full, the student would have had backup sections or classes written on their card to check in its place or would sit on the floor of the room rifling through the printed list of classes for Fall 1974 for alternatives. Once registered, a student would visit another room to pick up their ID card and Student Handbook. What a difference 52 years makes! Mason Libraries George Mason University Alumni Association

05/18/2026

Today in SCRC, we are highlighting a part of our rare books collection, the 1956 first English adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play The Visit. If you'd like to learn more about this piece of theater history and how it changed aspects of the original play, checkout our new Vault 217 blog post where we talk about it in depth.
https://vault217.gmu.edu/?p=11930

05/15/2026

Our latest blog preview includes an anti-theatrical broadside, transportation planning notebooks, records for a former University Institute, and more, all of which are now available for use in the Special Collections Research Center. Follow the link to learn more: https://vault217.gmu.edu/?p=11912

05/13/2026

George Mason University will celebrate its Fifty-Eighth Commencement on Thursday, May 14, at 9:30 A.M. at EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus. It will confer degrees upon 11,000 undergraduate, graduate and Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University candidates.
Mason’s first-ever commencement as a four-year, degree-granting institution took place on June 9, 1968 in the then just-completed Lecture Hall. The 52-member graduating class robed in the East Building before the ceremony and made the 25-yard procession from East to the Lecture Hall. The Fairfax High School Band played them into the auditorium with “Pomp and Circumstance” shortly before 3:30. A moment of silence was observed for Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated just three days earlier. The Reverend Kenneth C. Holmstrup gave the Invocation. Chancellor Lorin Thompson introduced the Platform Party, and Dean Robert Krug made some brief remarks. Dr. B. Prince Woodard, Chairman of Virginia’s State Council of Higher Education gave a 22-minute address entitled “Expectations”, in which he told the graduates that Mason would grow so fast that they would “need a map just to get around campus” at their ten-year reunion. The conferring of degrees for the fifty-two graduates took just eight minutes, and the ceremony was over at 4:22. After the ceremony, the entire graduating class was photographed against the north side of Fenwick Library (also recently constructed). By 4:30 all guests had gone, as it began to rain. Images from the George Mason University photograph collection ( ) and George Mason University Office of University Branding.
Mason Libraries George Mason University Alumni Association State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

05/06/2026

The Center for the Arts (CFA) on the Fairfax Campus is George Mason University’s premium performing arts venue. It serves as a cultural center for our region and hosts a wide range of live performances year-round. The CFA boasts a 2000-seat concert hall for presenting musical concerts, theater, Broadway-style shows, dance performances, opera and symphony productions. Internationally acclaimed artists and touring productions, along with university events have taken the stage at the CFA.
During the tenure of President George W. Johnson (1979-1996), the university expanded rapidly and aimed to serve not just students but the broader community. At the time, there was no major performing arts venue on campus capable of hosting large-scale cultural events. Johnson and his wife Joanne were strong supporters of the arts and advocated for a dedicated performing arts center. In 1988, the Virginia state legislature approved funding for the $10.6 million project.
George Izenour, the talented lighting engineer who became famous for his work in the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s, designed the interior of the concert hall. The CFA officially opened on October 6, 1990 with a star-studded gala hosted by composer Marvin Hamlisch, and featuring performers Jean-Pierre Rampal and Roberta Peters, among others.
Since opening, the CFA has served as a primary cultural venue for the region and has expanded its role in student performances and academic programs, evolving from a primarily community-facing venue into a core part of the university’s arts education programs.
Here we have an architect’s drawing of the proposed CFA from 1988 and a photo of the completed building in 1994. Images are from the George Mason University photograph collection ( ) and the Broadside photograph collection ( ).
Center for the Arts at George Mason University George Mason University Alumni Association Mason Libraries Marvin Hamlisch

05/01/2026

This Preservation Week, we want to highlight one of the books currently located in our Preservation Corner. This 1901 edition of “King Solomon and his followers : N.Y. : a valuable aid to the memory” is written entirely in the Masonic code of the Freemasons. While there isn’t much information available about its contents, we do know that it needs some TLC on its leather cover! Rare books are placed in the SCRC Preservation Corner for a range of reasons: damaged covers, items identified as needing custom clamshells or wrappers, and ephemera inside like pressed flowers. This last example pertains to “A handbook for travellers in Southern Italy…”, pictured on the last slide. Our Preservation team, led by Preservation Officer Amy Sullivan (), are the ones who help prolong the life of our materials for future use.

From: HS455.N7 K5 1901 and DG416 .M87 1874

04/30/2026

As National Poetry Month comes to a close, we’re excited to present the final installment of our poetry series - this time focusing on artists’ books! 🎨📚 Thank you for joining us this month as we highlighted some of the incredible poetry in our collections. Follow the link in our bio to discover even more!

04/29/2026

This week's WBW travels back to September 1964 and New Student Orientation at the newly built Fairfax Campus of George Mason University. In these photos from the Doug Nelms photographs (R0152), we see a student directing others to the event, students walking up the front sidewalk to North (now known as Finley), an information session in South (now Krug Hall), Students walking the unfinished dirt walkway from South to North Halls, students enjoying a meal in the cafeteria in South, and students playing a game of Hearts in the cafeteria. Photos were taken by Mason student, Doug Nelms, who was Mason's yearbook photographer at the time. New Student and Family Programs Mason Libraries George Mason University Alumni Association

Address

Fenwick Library MS 2FL, George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
22030

Telephone

(703)9932220

Website

http://scrc.gmu.edu/

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