Mason Basketball Digital Memory Bank

The Mason Basketball Digital Memory Bank is now live at http://hoops.gmu.edu.

With their first trip to the Final Four in school history, Mason is enjoying what is undoubtedly its finest season. The Patriots have won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time, set a school record with 27 wins, and defeated a pair of top-10 teams (Connecticut and North Carolina) for the first time in the history of the University.

The Patriots’ Cinderella story has made George Mason the focus of national attention, with Mason Fever spreading across the country. It is difficult to gauge what result the Patriots’ historic run will have on the University, but its impact will undoubtedly be felt.

As Patriot hoops make history, our historians are helping fans become a part of the story. By posting online their memories and media files of this momentous run to the Final Four, fans around the world can become a part of this important process. Our stories, as a component of this digital archive, will become part of a living history.

This project builds on prior work by George Mason University’s Center for History and New Media, and other partners such as the Library of Congress and the Red Cross, to collect and preserve history online, especially through the ECHO project, the September 11 Digital Archive, and the Hurricane Digital Memory Bank. It is part of a growing practice of using the Internet to preserve the past through “digital memory banks.”

Please spread the word about the Mason Basketball Digital Memory Bank and please be sure to visit hoops.gmu.edu and tell us your experience (or show us your experience in photos) with George Mason’s unbelievable run in basketball and be a part of online history!

Go Patriots!