Navigating Knowledge: A Comprehensive Guide to George Mason University Library Resources

George Mason University Libraries offer a wealth of resources and services to support the academic pursuits of students, faculty, and staff. From traditional print materials to cutting-edge digital technologies, the library system is designed to meet the diverse research, teaching, and learning needs of the university community. Expert library faculty provide research and consultative assistance, both in-person and virtually, to students, faculty and staff at any stage of the research process. This article provides a detailed overview of the various resources and services available through George Mason University Libraries.

Locations and Access

Library research materials in various formats are housed on the Fairfax Campus at the Fenwick Library; on the Mason Square Campus (Van Metre Hall); and on the Science and Technology Campus at the Mercer Library (Colgan Hall). The Antonin Scalia Law School Library, on the Mason Square Campus (Hazel Hall), is administered separately, but maintains close programmatic and service coordination with all of George Mason's libraries. George Mason's integrated library information system and its discovery layer interface access an online catalog, circulation, and course-reserves information. The system can be used in any of the libraries from campus locations on the network or via the web. An intercampus delivery service is available for students and faculty requesting materials held at any George Mason campus library.

Fenwick Library

Designed to LEED silver standards, the Fenwick Library, George Mason University's main research library, provides services, learning spaces, digital technology and resources for the George Mason community. The modern, bright facility accommodates individual study as well as group collaboration. The majority of the University Libraries' volumes are located in Fenwick Library. General circulating materials are available on floors three through five, with periodicals and government documents on the first floor. The state-of-the-art Special Collections Research Center is located on the second floor. Located on the first floor, the Information Desk is a unified full-service assistance desk, providing a single point of contact for research questions and access to collections in Fenwick Library. It is located in the Atrium as you enter the library. Fenwick Library offers a number of both instructional and seminar spaces.

Mercer Library

Mercer Library provides access to university-wide electronic and print resources, with an emphasis on instruction and assistance with information resources and research. The space has private study carrels and reservable study rooms for individual and collaborative use. The library fosters partnerships to provide information services to the rapidly expanding corporate and technology presence in Prince William County.

Van Metre Hall Library

Located on the second and third floors of Van Metre Hall, this library serves as a comprehensive research facility, catering to the academic and research needs of George Mason faculty, students, and staff at Mason Square. Reflecting the primarily graduate-level focus of this campus, the library's collection specializes in areas such as public policy, international commerce, economics, nonprofit management, conflict resolution, and arts management. Through intercampus delivery, circulating materials from other library locations are readily accessible. Library staff are available to provide research assistance and instruction, helping users navigate and utilize an ever-expanding array of research resources.

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Research Support and Assistance

Expert library faculty provide research and consultative assistance, both in-person and virtually, to students, faculty and staff at any stage of the research process. Research support ranges from class assignments to lengthier research projects, to capstone course and graduate degree requirements (i.e., thesis or dissertation), to digital humanities, data and GIS support, to research and scholarship leading to publication and related scholarly communications.

Digital Resources and Services

Data and Digital Scholarship Services (DDSS)

Data and Digital Scholarship Services (DDSS) is the Libraries' most sophisticated response to the interdisciplinary research, teaching, and learning needs of our digital researchers. The focus is on supporting scholarly or academic activities conducted or enhanced through the use of data and digital technologies. An integrated service supporting faculty and students engaged in data-centric and digital research supporting access to and the use of data sets (e.g., polling, census, geospatial, data archives), and content for text data mining and analysis. Services include consultations and training for data discovery and use, data collection and analysis, using statistical, qualitative, geographic information systems (GIS), digital humanities, and related software, platforms (e.g., Omeka, Open Science Framework), and tools. The Digital Projects Lab is designed and equipped to support and encourage collaborative work on digital research projects.

Printing Arts Lab (PAL)

The Printing Arts Lab (PAL) provides research support and free poster printing to George Mason students, faculty, and staff for academic work and other university-related activities. PAL primarily supports students and faculty to print research posters for academic conferences and research celebrations. Support for undergraduate poster printing comes through a partnership with the Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR).

Mason Publishing Group

The Mason Publishing Group provides support and resources to the George Mason University community for creating, curating, and disseminating scholarly, creative, and educational works. A component of Mason Publishing, the George Mason University Press publishes in a variety of disciplines ranging from literature to public policy. The University Dissertation and Thesis Service (UDTS) assists students and academic units in the dissertation, thesis, and graduate-level project process by helping students meet all university requirements and deadlines for submission of work. Another facet of Mason Publishing, the Mason Archival Repository Service (MARS) serves as an institutional repository and provides a stable digital archive for scholarly and research materials of lasting value held by Special Collections Research Center or produced by George Mason faculty, students, and staff. This service provides guidance, assistance, and education on copyright, open access, and scholarly communications issues.

Special Collections Research Center (SCRC)

The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), located within Fenwick Library, is tasked with acquiring, documenting, preserving, and providing access to primary source research materials, archival collections, and rare books. SCRC's services, collections, and programs support the teaching, learning, and research pursuits of George Mason University, the Fairfax community, and researchers around the globe. SCRC's collections - both physical and digital - focus on George Mason's academic areas of strength, Virginia and Northern Virginia history and development, theatre and performing arts, conflict analysis and resolution, planned communities, transportation and planning, the study of the Appalachian Trail, and artists' books. SCRC also actively collects the history of George Mason University through its University Archives program, including oral histories of alumni, staff, faculty, and administrators.

University Records Management

The University Records Management program assists all university offices and programs with the implementation of their records processes by providing excellent service to the campus community through education, the application of best practices for records management, and secure services to ensure the proper retention and disposition of public records, in accordance with Virginia state laws, federal policies, and guidelines. University Records Management offers online training, consultations, and records evaluations to assist faculty and staff.

Electronic Resources Usage

Most of these electronic resources are governed by license agreements which limit use to the George Mason University Community of students, faculty, staff, and on-site users of George Mason University Libraries facilities. Each user has the responsibility of using these resources only for individual, educational and non-commercial purposes. The systematic downloading, distribution, or permanent retention of significant portions of these databases may be a violation of said licenses or copyright law.

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