The scope of Decker Library collections supports curriculum in all aspects of visual culture, its relationship to other arts, and the relationship of art to culture in general. The emphasis and strength of the collection are in the documentation and interpretation of the significant participants, underrepresented minorities including LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC artists, and events and trends of twentieth and twenty-first-century visual art and design and the critical discourse surrounding these activities.
The Library intends to maintain a collection of approximate size and scope to provide for present needs and support the institution’s future growth at both undergraduate and graduate levels. This library’s goal is not to keep growing indefinitely in the total number of volumes. The goal is to maintain a book collection of 100,000 circulating volumes. The library assesses its success by comparing its holdings with libraries in similar institutions with similar focus and clientele and by interacting with MICA faculty and students.
Also, the collection strives to support at an appropriate level materials sufficient for the liberal arts requirements of the college, including the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics, as well as professional development materials such as law and business issues about art, artists, designers, and the art market.