A new finding is available for the George Mason University Office of University Relations newsclippings collection. Lauren Clark, a GMU history graduate student, processed the collection as part of the requirements for her archives administration class during the 2012 spring semester.
Since the early years of George Mason College, University Relations (formerly known as Public Relations) collected newsclippings created by local media about Mason. The newsclippings reveal GMU history from the 1950s through all the subsequent decades. The collection concludes in the early 2000s. There are a total of 163 boxes in this collection. The newclippings are organized by month and year, but each folder contains a wide variety of subject matter.
The main goal of this project was to make the newsclippings collection more accessible to users. Although staff had completed work on the collection in the past, much of the description remained on the boxes and folders or on handwritten sheets of paper. Lauren processed each box, organized the folders as needed, and entered the information into Archivists’ Toolkit, a database that generates inventories for publishing online. Now, researchers can use this collection to search for information about specific eras of university history, such as the construction of the Fairfax campus in the early 1960s. The newsclippings will also be useful to those interested in the recent history of Northern Virginia. There are three binders in SC&A that contain both typewritten and handwritten information on the subject matter in each folder from the 1950s through 1980. Staff is currently working on integrating that information into the finding aid, and the binders are available for researcher use in the reading room.
The image below highlights the design and construction of Fenwick Library.
Fenwick Library Exterior Design, July 29, 1965. George Mason University Office of University Relations newsclippings collection, Box 2, Folder 4, George Mason University Libraries Special Collections & Archives. This work may be protected by copyright laws and is provided for educational and research purposes only. Any infringing use may be subject to disciplinary action and/or civil or criminal liability as provided by law. If you believe that you are the rights-holder and object to Mason’s use of this image, please contact speccoll@gmu.edu.
