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Discover What's Happening at Decker Library

At Decker Library, we're more than just a collection of books and resources; we're a hub of creativity and innovation. We strongly believe in sharing work that contributes to the field of library and information science (LIS).

Our talented staff members have presented at various LIS conferences and published scholarly work, reflecting our commitment to professional growth and community engagement.

Explore Our Projects and Publications

We invite you to explore our diverse range of projects and publications, some of which are available under Creative Commons licenses. Each item is labeled with the department it originates from, allowing you to easily identify and access related materials.

Whether you're interested in Digital Projects, Research Instruction, or other specialized areas, you'll find a wealth of resources and insights throughout our site. Feel free to delve into the work that makes Decker Library a vibrant and collaborative space.

Decker Library Annual Report AY23

This year, Decker Library reached a pivotal milestone by finalizing its Program Review and Visioning Report, outlining four ambitious strategic goals for the upcoming half-decade. Our calendar was bustling with dynamic programming, from captivating exhibitions to the intriguing "Art & the Archive" series. The much-anticipated Edible Book Festival made its delightful return. Additionally, we were honored to host a talented library science graduate student who meticulously organized the Baltimore Music and Performance Collection.

Black and White Poster with a checkered background and Muppet cutouts advertising a show from Decker Library's "Baltimore Music and Performance Collection."

Library Academic Program Review Visioning Document

Throughout AY22, Decker Library went through its first academic program review.

The following report illustrates the gap between where the library is and what is required to fulfill its vision, goals that will help close the gap, and challenges the library may face. It is possible to fulfill the library's vision for MICA to be a hub for socially engaged artists, designers, and educators in Baltimore, creating a more equitable world.

Student sitting on stool looking at books in a row of books in a library

Decker Library Annual Report AY21-22

The Decker Library Annual Report overviews activities during the 2021-2022 Academic Years. It discusses our two unconferences Remote Emote and ... Now What?, our Art & the Archive online conversation series, exhibitions in our space or with our collections, discussion about the library going through academic program review, and showing the library usage coming into and out of the first couple years of the pandemic.

Image of Sophia Crownfield Exhibit where MICA collection was shown.

Annual Report

Decker Library Annual Report 2019-2020

The Decker Library Annual Report is an overview of activities during the 2019-2020 Academic Year. It includes a statement on our commitment to interrogating systems of oppression, MICA students working with Special Collections materials, an event on instructional design, the migration to our new Library catalog, utilizing Instagram to connect with our community during COVID-19, an in-library exhibition, and staff awards and professional accomplishments.

A photograph of a library book shelf

Research Instruction

Assignment Architecture Zine

This zine, which was co-authored with members of the Writing Studio, offers practical advice on how to effectively design assignments for research and writing. It includes a handy checklist of things faculty can take into consideration as they're building their syllabi and assignments.

two women standing in front of white dry erase board

Symposium, June 28, 2019 | Digital Initiatives Unit

The Art of Digital Stewardship: Content, Context, and Structure

As the culminating event for the National Digital Stewardship Residency for Art Information (NDSR Art), the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) was host to The Art of Digital Stewardship: Content, Context, and Structure. During this symposium, NDSR Art residents from MICA's Decker Library, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Small Data Industries presented possible solutions for the acquisition, preservation, and access of digital art and art information, from preserving born-digital documentation of the museum experience to working with at-risk artists' archives.

Additionally, this one-day symposium brought together digital archivists, digital curators, librarians, content creators, and artists to discuss digital art stewardship and focus on questions such as:

How are we conceptualizing the artistic process as information or as a record? How can we support artists' engagement with the archival record? And, conversely, how can we support artists' archival impulses?

The Art of Digital Stewardship: Content, Context, and Structure is sponsored by the Maryland Institute College of Art and the National Digital Stewardship Residency for Art Information.

Digital Initatives Unit

Archiving Digital Art and Design Theses Work: Final Report

The purpose of this report is to provide a brief of the 2018-2019 NDSR Art Project: “Digital Archiving Non-Traditional Art and Design Theses Work”, a summary of individual deliverables, and recommendations for implementation of a new workflow for acquiring, preserving, and providing access to art and design theses. This report is also intended to serve as a framework for other institutions to follow and implement as it relates to the acquisition of theses work. The report seeks to outline the rationale behind certain acquisition, preservation and access decisions in order to allow other institutions to align to their particular circumstances, educational programs and resources. This report consists of excerpts from "Archiving Art And Design Theses: Report On Institutional Repositories" and "Theses at MICA: Graduate Faculty Focus Group Findings," both available below, as well as unpublished content. Report by Cristina Fontánez Rodríguez; Design by Chloe Phan.

Image: Tim Mossholder, "Broadcast"

Research Instruction

Curriculum Mapping as Strategic Partnership Building

This presentation is the culmination Clare Kuntz Balcer's Field Study at MICA's Decker Library. The goal of this curriculum mapping project was to gain a deeper understanding of how information literacy fits into practice-based research and how librarians can work with departmental faculty to scaffold information literacy into studio art classes. The content of this presentation will be useful in helping librarians and disciplinary faculty build stronger partnerships at art and design schools and beyond.

Digital Initiatives Unit

Personal Digital Archiving: How to create a digital archive for your work, thesis, and career

This site will guide you through the basic principles of digital archiving and digital preservation so you can take control of your work's digital future by managing your files, ensuring their accessibility, and submitting your work to Decker Library's Graduate Theses Collection.

You will learn about:
- Why digital preservation is important for you
- The basic steps for preserving your digital files
- What to take into consideration when documenting your work
- Recommended formats for long-term preservation and submission to Decker Library

This website was made by Cristina Fontánez Rodríguez as part of the NDSR Art residency.

Digital Initiatives Unit

Theses at MICA: Graduate Faculty Focus Group Findings

This report collects findings from three focus group sessions conducted with graduate program directors at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). During these sessions, program directors were asked questions related to the theses submission processes in order to identify pain points and areas of need. These sessions provided Decker Library’s NDSR Art resident with the opportunity to directly discuss the value of certain aspects of thesis work, examine decision-making processes when it came to submission, discuss responsibilities, and provide information on the library’s current theses collection practices. This report details key themes that emerged during conversations with program directors and provides preliminary recommendations for the library to address communication and documentation issues as well as institutional silos.

Image for Theses at MICA report

Digital Initiatives Unit

Archiving Art and Design Theses: Report on Institutional Repositories

In 2018, Decker Library, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) was selected as a host institution for the National Digital Stewardship Residency (NDSR) for Art Information with a proposed project of developing a new model for the acquisition, preservation, and access to art and design Master’s thesis. The purpose of this report is to provide background and insight into how universities collect, preserve and provide access to Master of Fine Arts theses including media such as video, photography, or interactive media.

NDSR Report image: paintbrushes (stock image)

Research Instruction

Information Literacy Program Guide

This guide offers a practical starting point to librarians incorporating critical information skills into the instructional practice. The guide includes templates for first-year and second-year courses, reading materials to build out a robust pedagogical framework, instructional and information literacy materials from other institutions, and examples of active learning techniques.

Information Literacy Program

Digital Initiatives Unit

Social Media Strategic Plan, 2017

This strategic plan explains the social media platforms Decker Library is currently utilizing, our audience, purpose, and statistics. It provides follower numbers of competitors, which not only helps us understand how we rank, but perhaps provides an idea of who we should follow more closely to grow our own following. Based on less than one year of management, there are also recommendations for Decker Library to consider if we’d like to grow our reach.

Women of Color in Tech stock images, Women in Tech stock images

Digital Initiatives Unit

Decker Library Website User Experience Project

As part of the preparation for MICA's new website, Digital Initiatives Librarian Jenny Ferretti conducted an extensive review and revision of Decker Library's webpages. This effort detailed the reorganization of the library's information architecture in anticipation of MICA's website migration and redesign. She divided the work into four phases and have provided detailed information and resources on this site.

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