PASCAL update: October 30

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

I think you are all aware of the impact state funding cuts have made on statewide access to databases. We learned on October 30 that PASCAL's budget is slated to be cut another 3% following the recent legislative session. Although 3% of $200,000 is only $6,000, there is the fear that PASCAL Delivers might be discontinued in 2009 if funding is not restored to at least its 2007 level of $2M.

Your continued feedback is critical as PASCAL members and staff seek to restore funding for PASCAL. I know several of you have contributed to this effort already, and your missives are greatly appreciated.

Especially as the legislature looks to trim spending, it is worth pointing out that library service to higher education costs South Carolina much less when PASCAL buys database access for all state institutions of higher learning, than when even a small percentage of those state institutions purchase access on their own. Likewise, if all the institutions can share a catalog, we can spend less money on duplicate copies of books and DVDs at each school. This is the power of purchasing in groups. Perhaps more importantly, when only a few large or wealthy institutions are able to purchase access, the students and faculty at the remaining institutions suffer.