Discover Resources

Special Collections

Explore the Treasures of Decker's Special Collections

Welcome to the heart of MICA's history and creativity. Our Special Collections are a vibrant repository of unique records and works related to MICA, including contributions from our talented students, faculty, and alumni.

What You'll Find in Our Special Collections

  • Artists' Books: Explore innovative and imaginative creations.
  • Rare Books: Discover literary gems and historical texts.
  • Audiovisual Materials: Dive into moving images and audio that capture artistic expressions.
  • MICA History Materials: Unearth MICA's rich history through graduate theses, architectural records, yearbooks, scrapbooks, reports, catalogs, student rosters, financial ledgers, meeting minutes, and more.

Access and Restrictions

Please be aware that some materials may be restricted. Unpublished MICA records are not available for outside research for 70 years from the date of creation, and documentation may be sporadic for certain periods.

Discover Our Collection

There are several ways to explore what we have to offer:

  1. ArchivesSpace: Browse our Special Collections and MICA Archives repositories.
  2. MICA Digital Library: Explore our digital collection.
  3. Internet Archive: Listen to our MICA Mades collection of digitized audio lectures.

Need Assistance?

We're here to help! If you have any questions or need guidance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at refer@mica.edu.

Notable Collections

Book Arts Collection

Decker Library's Book Arts collection consists of almost 800 unique, limited-edition artists' books and fine press editions. The collection includes works by nationally and internationally renowned artists, as well as contributions from MICA alumni, faculty, and staff.

MICA Digital Library

MICA Mades Audiovisual Collection

The MICA Mades Audiovisual Collection houses over 700 VHS and Beta tapes, almost 800 cassette tapes, and a dozen film reels, documenting artist lectures, poetry readings, exhibitions, and special events at MICA dating back to the 1940s. Many of these items have been digitized and can be accessed for viewing or listening on the Internet Archive.

MICA Mades in ArchivesSpace

MICA Graduate Theses Collection

Decker Library holds graduate theses from MICA's graduate programs. Theses from 1956 to 2014 are available in-library only and can be searched in the library catalog or viewed in our inventory, arranged by program. Theses from 2015 to the present are accessible via Digital Decker. Authors set the permission level for their work, so some theses are open to the public, some are restricted to the MICA community (requiring a MICA username and password), and others are embargoed for five years from the creation date.

Digital Theses (2015-Present)

Zine Collection

Zines, often self-published, non-profit, limited print works that may be folded, stapled, or photocopied, are a focus of our collection. We prioritize collecting works by MICA students, staff, and faculty, as well as zines reflecting Baltimore City's issues and artists, and those highlighting marginalized groups. These efforts support the MICA curriculum, and we continue to actively collect materials for this collection.