Libraries and Research - Fairfax Campus

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Libraries and Research

Libraries

George Mason University Libraries offers opportunities for research through local print collections and of networked electronic information resources. It provides access to more than 300 databases covering a wide range of formats, including, in some cases, full text. This extended access to electronic information is made possible through the libraries' participation in the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) and the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC).

George Mason University, along with approximately 130 of the country's leading universities, belongs to the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), located in Chicago. This membership entitles faculty and students to borrow any CRL materials for a lengthy period of time. The center's collections include more than 5 million volumes of research materials and more than 1.3 million microform units.

University Libraries maintains an outreach network of liaison librarians who work with faculty members and technology specialists to develop courses, assess student learning, and enrich the learning process for all students. Librarians tailor instruction to the curricular needs of faculty members and the assignments of students.

Through a multicampus library system serving the Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William Campuses, and via collaborations with University Computing and Information Systems (UCIS) and the Department of Instructional Improvement and Instructional Technologies (DoIT), George Mason University Libraries participates in distributed learning. The University Libraries also serves a diverse population through library web pages, e-mail reference, and other services.

Research and Entrepreneurship

Research
The discovery of new knowledge through research and scholarly activities is a critical part of intellectual life and learning experiences at George Mason. Vigorous and diverse research enriches the classroom experience for students and gives them access to the excitement of venturing into new territory.

Entrepreneurship at Mason
In the spirit of entrepreneurship, Mason provides the critical thinking, leadership skills, and business acumen that mobilizes new and existing enterprises, large and small corporations, and nonprofit and government organizations.

More than 30 percent of our research and scholarly inquiry is conducted in active, involved partnerships with industry, government, and other universities. Research partnerships result in a richness of ideas and a dissemination of knowledge that benefits all team members and their parent institutions.