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Projects and Publications

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Projects and Publications
A lot happens at Decker Library. We're here to share.

Decker Library strongly believes in sharing work that contributes to our field. We have a number of staff members who have presented at library and information science (LIS) conferences and published scholarly work. 

Feel free to check out our projects and publications, some of which have Creative Commons licenses. 

Each project or publication contains a label indicating which department materials come from. You can find other resources from these departments throughout site, including Digital Projects (Digital Initiatives Unit) and Research Instruction. 

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

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Repositories" and "Theses at MICA: Graduate Faculty Focus Group Findings," both available below, as well as unpublished content.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

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