The State Library has again awarded an LSTA grant to support the continued development of the South Carolina Digital Library. The $48,000 grant will focus on continuing to grow this ongoing initiative, promotion and outreach. For FFY 2010-11, the State Library has decided to make the grant award through the University of South Carolina. After eight years of playing a direct role in facilitating the development of the SCDL, PASCAL will be stepping back from the process. This is an appropriate time for such a transfer, particularly in consideration of the current level of staffing for administrative and program support at PASCAL.

 

A digital collections initiative was an integral part of PASCAL's long range plan published in May 2001. Starting in 2003, the South Carolina State Library made a series of consecutive LSTA grants through PASCAL to support development. Between 2003 and 2005, alternatives were explored, foundations were laid, and some prototypes were developed. During a hiatus in LSTA funding in 2006-7, stakeholders worked on developing a model for a sustainable South Carolina Digital Library. Between 2007 and 2010, PASCAL again managed LSTA grants and the SCDL emerged in its present form. Kate Boyd, Digital Collections Manager at the University of South Carolina led program development and, in collaboration with Clemson, the College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina University/Georgetown Public Library; four regional scanning centers were established. PASCAL will continue to host the SCDL front-end website, scmemory.org .

 

I am proud of PASCAL’s contribution to this important collaborative venture, both in the direct coordinating role we played in the initial exploratory phases and in the administrative support we’ve provided more recently. An overview of PASCAL activities in support of this project may be found here. As events continue to unfold in this rapidly changing environment, I am sure that further opportunities for collaboration will present themselves.