As part of the University Libraries' celebration of George Mason University's 50th Anniversary last year, the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) launched a digital project, The Mason Experience: Past and Present. It sought to help the Mason community understand a little more about their university by learning about its four campuses, the buildings on those campuses, university traditions, and the people behind them.
In the fall of 2022, Bob Vay, University Archivist, and Charlotte Corneliusen, former SCRC Graduate Research Assistant, began working on this exciting project connecting members of today’s Mason community with those of the past. They spent the academic year researching and writing essays explaining the histories behind each of Mason’s campuses. The Mason Experience uses new, original research and recently digitized photograph collections in the SCRC.
Vay and Corneliusen created The Mason Experience using Curatescape, a new digital humanities platform developed at Cleveland State University. Curatescape’s technology allowed them to tell Mason’s history in a digital landscape. Their location-based research reveals the stories behind Mason’s campuses, buildings, landmarks, and people associated with them, connecting them to the greater Mason story.
The Mason Experience allows users to visit and tour each of Mason’s four campuses virtually. Through the app, students, faculty, and staff learn about the campuses and how to navigate them. Users can travel back in time through stories and photographs of some of the people, places, and things that have made Mason the University it is today. The Mason Experience is optimized for use across multiple devices and accessible through a mobile app. To experience this exciting project for yourself, you can down-load The Mason Experience via the QR code. 
April 01, 2024