Made possible by state funding, the new Fenwick Library was designed by Boston architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch and built by Whiting-Turner to LEED silver standards. The facility has greatly expanded services, learning spaces, and digital technology and resources for the Mason community, including:
- An integrated, full-service information and assistance desk
- A café and 24/7 study area
- Express check-out stations where students can scan their own items
- Compact shelving, which allows for increased capacity for books and print materials
- 30 new group study rooms equipped with white boards and monitors
- A graduate student zone with assigned/lockable research carrels
- MediaScape collaboration study rooms, which can allow up to four students to share their screen simultaneously
- A number of seminar rooms and three technology-rich instructional rooms
- A laptop dispenser where users can check out computers for use within the library
- A state-of the-art Special Collections Research Center
- Presentation practice rooms equipped with technology
- A beautiful Main Reading Room with seating for 75
- A Research Commons featuring programming and support for individual and collaborative projects
- Two exhibition/gallery areas
- Several meeting rooms and staff lounges