PASCAL provides access to core electronic resources for its members in three ways. We collaborate with DISCUS South Carolina's Virtual Library, fill in some gaps that DISCUS does not satisfy for higher education, and supplement these two offerings to complete our core electronic resources for academic libraries in South Carolina.
PASCAL collaborates with the DISCUS Program at the South Carolina State Library to expand electronic library content for all South Carolina citizens. All DISCUS electronic resources and other offerings are available to every academic library in South Carolina. The only two exceptions of concern to PASCAL members are Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) and Literature Resource Center (GALE). The full list of DISCUS electronic resources is here.
PASCAL annual membership fees and institutional assessments include the following core electronic resources for our member libraries. These core electronic resources address the gaps in statewide access that the joint procurement with DISCUS does not fill for higher education.
Academic Search Premier (EBSCO)
Literature Resource Center (GALE)
Institute of Physics Archives (IOP)
and Pick 2 from a 17-database buffet list (EBSCO), includes CINAHL Full-Text
Additionally, 36 PASCAL members chose to participate in one or more of the following supplemental EBSCO offerings.
MLA Bibliography
Wilson 16-database package
EBSCO remaining 17-database buffet list after Pick 2 core selections that all PASCAL members made
Year two of this program allowed PASCAL to add two more supplemental EBSCO offerings, an upgrade to CINAHL Complete, and an upgrade to MEDLINE Complete. Beginning in FY13-14, 25 PASCAL members chose to participate in these upgrades.
In combination, the PASCAL/DISCUS joint procurement and PASCAL's supplemental agreement represent a significant increase in content available to PASCAL patrons at a greatly reduced cost for our core electronic resources package. These core electronic resources provide access to key components of the PASCAL core package that were not included as DISCUS offerings.
The historic PASCAL/DISCUS joint procurement which began in FY12-13 provides South Carolinians access to a robust set of electronic library resources and saves money spent by academic libraries on content. This initial consolidation of resources in 2012 took place within the context of large losses absorbed by all libraries since 2009, in particular the more deeply felt cuts for those libraries supporting higher education. The content for this agreement was based on material best-suited for broad spectrum collaboration. Beyond this first step in wider collaboration, PASCAL aims to encourage collaboration where it is sensible with a mutual respect for the imperative to pursue independent needs when it is appropriate.
