About

Current Operations Information

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About
Current Operations Information
Update for Spring 2021: Contactless pick up will be available to faculty, staff, and students on specific days/times. More below.

See also: MICA and COVID-19 - MICA's latest set of campus actions, policies, and advice in response to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.

Updated January 19, 2021: 

Decker Library will be providing contactless pick up of material that circulate in the collection (books and Film and Video Collection items) to faculty, staff, and students Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 12pm-3pm. All pick ups must be scheduled in advance by placing the item on Hold through the Library Catalog. 

Contact us with questions: circ@mica.edu. 

Information for the Spring 2021 Semester

Keeping people from congregating will slow down the spread of COVID-19 and make it easier for the medical community to keep up with cases. The library will engage in the following practices for Spring 2021 Semester: 

What is not happening? 

  • In-person visits. 
  • In-person Research Instruction and Research Help.
  • Cash transactions.

What is happening? Virtual Services: 

  • Electronic resources subscribed to and by Decker Library, including electronic journals, ebooks, and more. All ebooks and most articles can be found directly through out Catalog. For all available articles, take a look at our list of databases. 
  • Interlibrary Loan (assuming other Libraries have access). 
  • Research Help through email, phone, video chat (Zoom or Google Hangouts). 
  • Purchasing non-physical material (Kanopy and other databases, services).
  • Scanning of Library-owned materials for students and faculty, otherwise known as Document Delivery. DocDel will resume 01/25/2021. 
  • Research Instruction via Zoom. 
  • Contactless pick up of circulating materials (books, Film and Video Collection items), by appointment only. 
    • Requests are done directly through our Library Catalog.
    • Pick up location is inside Bunting Center.

How to Schedule Contactless Pick Up from Decker Library on Vimeo.

Contact Information 

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to us.

For research help, contact the Decker Librarians: 

  • refer@mica.edu

For everything else, including information about Holds, borrowing, your account, and more, contact Access Services: 

  • circ@mica.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Steps to Requesting Contactless Pick Up

1. Visit our Library Catalog. 

2. Sign-in to the Catalog (upper right corner). 

3. Search for the item and once found, click on the item title. 

4. Click "Request" and Send. "Request" will only appear for available items. 

5. Check your email. You should receive an email from circ@mica.edu with the subject line "Hold Available." Follow the link in the email to schedule a pick up time. 

6. Come to the Library during your pick up time. Pick up location is inside Bunting Center, 1401 W. Mount Royal Ave. 

When done, items may be returned to our material drop adjacent to the Library entrance. Please let us know if you have any questions at all: circ@mica.edu. 

Watch the tutorial:

How to Schedule Contactless Pick Up from Decker Library on Vimeo.

If you are in the Baltimore area: You can return books using the drop box adjacent to the Library entrance (inside Bunting) to return materials. Please see MICA communication about entering campus buildings before making a trip. 

 

If you are planning to return to the area for Spring '21: Your due dates will be extended until the end of the Spring semester. 

 

If you're not returning to campus this Spring, you should have received an email to return your materials. For questions or follow up, please contact us at circ@mica.edu. 

 

If you already plan to take a full gap year or are not returning to MICA: Please contact circ@mica.edu to coordinate shipping materials back at the Library's expense both for domestic and international students. 

 

If you have any other non-MICA material still out (for example Interlibrary Loan material), please contact circ@mica.edu for help in returning the material.

Databases are available online for MICA students, faculty and staff.

 

Most of our database content is found by searching our online catalog. A list of all of our databases can be found here. 

 

In both cases, login with your MICA username and password when prompted.

 

If you have any difficulty accessing a database or an article, please forward your questions to refer@mica.edu 

 

Yes, if you have internet connection and there are no restrictions to your internet access, you should be able to access all of the Library's online resources.

Access to the Library Catalog and databases from countries that restrict internet access may require the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) software. Use of VPN may also speed up access to the MICA website (including the Decker Library homepage).

If you have restricted internet and cannot have a VPN please contact your faculty and your librarian or refer@mica.edu . We will do our best to assist you in completing your research. 

Note: The image database Artstor requires a login on campus every 120 days. If you've never created a login on campus, or haven't logged in on campus in over 120 days, please email us at refer@mica.edu.

We can currently support streaming either through Alexander Street Press or Kanopy.

 

Please note anyone with a current MICA username and password have access to our streaming services. However, only Faculty can request we purchase new items through Kanopy. 

 

You will want to check if any titles you have interest in are there or if there are titles that could be replaced with something similar. Note that for Kanopy we’re paying $150 for streaming rights for one year, so this is only for faculty to use for a film for their entire class to watch. 

 

We do not have the ability to put DVDs up online, as it is against copyright law. 

Anyone with a MICA username and password can view films we already have licenses to stream on Kanopy. However, only MICA faculty can request that we purchase films we don't already have licenses for (more information about that is located on our website under Teaching Support). 

Faculty must make requests directly through Kanopy, as this is the only way we can fulfill the request. If we have access to a film, it will appear on screen with a play button. If we don't have access to a film, when you click on the film, you will be brought to a request form.

We fulfill requests as soon as we can, but it does take Kanopy a bit of time to process.  Please keep in mind that licenses are typically for one year, so if you keep a film on your syllabus, just double-check we still have access to it. 

What's the difference between Pratt's Kanopy and MICA's Kanopy?  Pratt might have licenses to different films, so if you're searching for a film on Kanopy, we suggest checking both theirs and MICA's to see if the film you want your students to watch is available.

eBooks are available online 24/7 without any special requirements for viewing. If you want to search and read eBooks online, you can search for the book in our Library Catalog, narrow your search to Books, then using Filter Results By, click "Available Online" under Availability. 

You can also go directly to our eBooks Collection database on our Find Articles & Media page. 

Here is a video tutorial on how to find material available online through our Catalog. 

eBooks are available online 24/7 without any special requirements for viewing. If you wish to download an ebook for offline viewing using a desktop computer or smartphone, follow the instructions for a “full download” here. 

Yes, if you don't already have an Enoch Pratt Free Library card, you can register for an Online eCard. "Maryland residents [which includes those who attend school in MD] can now apply online for an eCard that allows access to all of Enoch Pratt Library’s digital resources including eBooks, streaming media, and databases."

If you have any issues with applying for an eCard, please contact us at circ@mica.edu. 

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