Initiatives and Priorities

Appalachian Trail Conservancy Archives — GIVE NOW

The Appalachian Trail is a national treasure. The longest hiking-only footpath in the world, it measures roughly 2,190 miles in length and travels through 14 states along the crests and valleys of the Appalachian Mountain Range, from Maine to Georgia. More than three million people hike the trail every year.

The century-old history of this national treasure became the largest collection in the University Libraries Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) when the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Archives were relocated to George Mason in 2022. Under the SCRC’s expert guidance, the collection will be professionally cataloged, preserved, and made widely available to the public.

The historical value of this collection is exceptional, as is the archival challenge it presents. It is a large collection consisting of more than 850 linear feet of unprocessed materials. University Libraries will need additional archivists and storage resources to employ state-of-the-art curatorial and archival practices for the processing, description, cataloging, selective digitization, and overall preservation of the collection.

Our goal is ambitious, but for good reason: we strongly believe that this collection is an outstanding component of our nation’s cultural history. It chronicles the vision that made the Appalachian Trail a reality, a story that will serve as a catalyst and guide for future generations. We are up for the challenge.

Student Research — GIVE NOW

University Libraries serve as the center of campus discussion about shared topics of scholarly interest and the most pressing intellectual and ethical matters of our time. Our libraries are living, learning laboratories where new ideas are created and shared.

The Graduate Student Fellowship & the Undergraduate Research Prize were established to further foster this scholarly discourse at Virginia’s largest research institution, recognize both graduate and undergraduate research, and to promote student success.

The University Libraries Research Endowment which supports these awards was created by generous donors that understood the critical need to nurture research in all of its many forms and illuminate the extensive research supports University Libraries offers to our students and faculty. The research endowment continues to grow through donations from donors like you. Give now.

Center for Mason Legacies — GIVE NOW

The Center for Mason Legacies (CML) is an interdisciplinary, collaborative research center established by the University Libraries and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Its mission is to preserve and examine the legacy of George Mason, his ancestors and heirs, and the people he enslaved. CML engages student researchers in the study of past and present influences of our university’s namesake in a process that combines scholarly research, public history, teaching innovation, and community outreach.

Donations allow us to provide stipends to graduate and undergraduate student assistants, offer internship opportunities, enable public programming and community outreach, and establish future initiatives. Support the work of the Center for Mason Legacies, please give.

Student Assistant Scholarship — GIVE NOW

The Student Assistant Endowed Scholarship provides scholarship support for students who work for the University Libraries. Growing the endowment that supports this initiative would allow us to provide increased financial assistance to the exceptional student assistants who do so much to make George Mason University Libraries a welcoming research and study home for our students and faculty.

Student Assistants develop excellent research, teaching, and customer relations skills as they gain in-depth experience using current academic research resources and information technologies. Find out more.