John Burton Library

Contact the JBL

The John Burton Library staff can be reached at jbl@gmu.edu for any questions or inquiries.

Visit the JBL

5th floor of Vernon Smith Hall at Mason Square in Arlington

3434 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA 2224

Find the information and resources you need to complete a course, write a paper, or give a report from University Libraries and the John Burton Library.

Black and white photo of John Burton holding a pen
John W. Burton

The John Burton Library and Resource Center with its dedicated focus on conflict analysis and resolution provides the Carter School community information on the University, research services, study tools, Carter School archives, and rare sources from the Field. This private, donation-based library located at the heart of the Carter School in Mason Square (formerly called the Arlington Campus), is a place where the community comes together to learn.

Borrowing Books

Over 10,000 titles are available to students, including many books that are assigned reading for courses. Browse the catalog and visit us in person to check out books.

Returning Books

The Burton Library is independent from the University Libraries system. Returning a book to the incorrect library may result in fines.

Seated students conversing in a library

Carter School students and faculty talk about "Current News Through a Conflict Resolution Lens" in the John Burton Library at Mason Square in Arlington.

University and Consortium Libraries

Carter School students' main sources for research are the University Libraries, which consists of four facilities across Mason's three campuses. These sites provide access to more than 6 million print and electronic resources.

Students can search the University Libraries' catalog for books, media, databases, newspapers, and journals. Books, media, and microfiche can be delivered to any university campus through the University's Inter-campus Loan service. Materials not available at the University Libraries can be requested through the Washington Research Library Consortium, (WRLC) or Interlibrary Loan.

WRLC items are usually delivered within two to three business days. Students also have access to materials in Arlington, D.C., and Fairfax libraries, as well as the WorldCat, and Library of Congress catalogs.

Note: The WRLC headquarters are currently closed to the public, as are the university libraries of the consortium institutions. Digital resources may continually be accessed and borrowed.

Special Collections

Founders of the Field have contributed their works to the Carter School and Mason. The University Libraries Special Collection and Archives houses Carter School related special collections. The Burton Library also has books and papers donated by several founders and hosts the Parents of the Field video collection and the Zones of Peace database.

Carter School Theses and Dissertations can be found via: