2026 PASCAL Member Conference

University museums and academic libraries are frequent collaborators. More recently, museums are becoming part of the library organization. Stemming from a review of the literature and interviews with library leaders who oversee museums, this presentation will offer insights into the circumstances by which colleges or universities might situate museums under library administration, and what they are doing with them. A categorization of the types of relationships that exist, reporting models, and the advantages and disadvantages of such a model will be discussed. Attendees will participate through Mentimeter surveys and a small tabletop exercise.

Academic library book displays often rely on predictable themes, yet inventive approaches can significantly enhance engagement and discovery. Book displays can serve as strategic tools for promoting collections, supporting curriculum, and fostering intellectual curiosity beyond targeted research needs. This presentation examines best practices for designing effective academic library displays that align with institutional goals, disciplinary themes, campus events, while also looking at nontraditional themes. Library displays should invite curiosity and interdisciplinary thinking. Examples include concept-driven, question-based and data inspired themes. The presentation will also discus strategies for developing original themes, curating materials across formats, and designing displays that encourage exploration. Hopefully attendees will leave with adaptable ideas for creating displays that will reimagine the academic library.

During this time of unprecedented levels of censorship in South Carolina's public, school, and academic libraries, library leaders have identified the critical need to create a South Carolina Intellectual Freedom manual. While such a manual has existed in the past (1992!) and was utilized on a statewide level, a new iteration has not been issued in many years. The purpose of this manual is to unite library workers across the state in best practices, supportive guidelines, and methods for combating censorship. It will also provide a foundation for the ethics of intellectual freedom that can be used for advocacy and education purposes. Library Advocacy leader Virginia Cononie and past SCASL president Jamie Gregory have edited an updated draft and are seeking member input and feedback. Please attend this session if you are interested in learning more, previewing the draft, and providing feedback.

Struggling with the chaos of electronic resources work? Three experienced librarians share their battle tested strategies for managing time, taming e-mail inboxes, and organizing complex collection data. Attendees will take away practical tips for using your calendar, managing email, and creating a centralized hub for all your electronic resources information.

Understanding how students use the library is essential to refining services and resources, but more holistic assessment also requires examining those who do not engage and the reasons behind their lack of use. At Coastal Carolina University, an annual Library Impact Study compares the academic performance of students who use library facilities, services, and resources with those who do not. While this study yields valuable insight into user outcomes, it does not fully capture the experiences, perceptions, or needs of students who are not identified as library users. To address this gap, non-users were surveyed about study habits, space preferences, and their sense of belonging in library environments. Integrating usage data with feedback from non-users provides a more comprehensive understanding of student behavior and engagement, illustrating how library spaces and services contribute to student success while identifying opportunities to expand the library's reach and effectiveness.

This session demonstrates how to transform lengthy, disengaging information literacy courses using AI as a collaborative tool under librarian guidance. Learn a replicable, iterative process for AI-assisted course redesign that positions librarians as architects and AI as the construction crew. Discover strategic bot stacking with multiple AI models including Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Codestral - to capitalize on each tool's unique strengths. Explore effective prompting techniques that evolved through hands-on experimentation and see concrete before-and-after examples of course transformation. This presentation addresses common concerns about AI in academic settings while demonstrating how human expertise, pedagogical integrity, and professional oversight ensure AI amplifies rather than replaces librarian knowledge. Ideal for both AI novices and experimenters ready to modernize their information literacy instruction with confidence. Attendees will leave with "Starter Prompts" to modify their own course content and create interactive activities using generative AI tools.

Member libraries of the South Carolina State Documents Depository System, led by the South Carolina State Library, will meet to discuss recent updates to the depository system manual and ways to promote state documents in their libraries and online.

Two academic librarians share their experiences implementing a holistic approach to academic librarianship on their small, rural college campus. Inspired by "whole person" librarianship and public librarians, we adapted user services, spaces, and resources in our library. This approach centers our users' needs as developing scholars AND human beings while emphasizing staff well-being. Acknowledging limitations and nurturing healthy collaborative networks (on and off campus) are critical to this work. We borrow traits of public and K12 libraries to plan services, spaces, and resources that address students' basic needs before and during traditional outreach, instruction, and research services. We aim to nurture a sense of "homeness" and belonging in the library to encourage student self-determination and the creation of organic social networks. Presenters will share our philosophy, relevant research, and how we implement this approach in our own niche space. We will share tips and lessons learned through this process.

One of the strategic goals of the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) library is to enhance connections within the university and for local communities to demonstrate the library's value and its contribution to student success. Toward this goal, the library hosted its first Douglass Day event in collaboration with the university's community-focused lifelong learning unit, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). The library also worked with the faculty leadership for African American History Month (AAHM) to engage students in the Douglass Day event to increase their knowledge and understanding of Frederick Douglass, and the importance of transcribing primary source materials to create a historical record of the experience of African Americans in the United States. The library was able to rapidly respond to their request for assistance with little lead time. Also, the librarians involved the student employees in the USCB Makerspace to develop unique, creative resources for the event that demonstrated the value of the USCB librarians, and the Makerspace to the university and local community.

The data librarians at USC, Clemson, and Coastal Carolina, recognizing common challenges faced by researchers across their respective institutions, initiated a collaborative effort to provide coordinated statewide research data training during Love Data Week 2026, with future collaboration in the works. What began as a series of cross-institutional discussions has developed into a partnership that enhances capacity, reduces individual burden, and strengthens connections among academic libraries throughout the state. Participants will discover how to identify potential partners, establish initial connections, and navigate the complexities of cross-institutional collaboration - from aligning calendars and institutional priorities to coordinating diverse expertise and resources. The presentation will share concrete approaches for building trust among collaborators, creating equitable participation structures, and leveraging each institution's unique strengths.

Using a four-stage framework (Identify, Locate, Evaluate, and Produce), librarians overhauled an existing in-person one-credit course, into two online courses (accelerated and full semester) with the goal of demystifying the research process for undergraduate students. The course guides students from topic selection and formulating a research question through to a final project where students "teach" the process themselves. By presenting a (mostly) structured research framework, the course empowers students to navigate information overload, identify credible sources, and produce academically rigorous work. The goal is student success in any research project and across all disciplines, whether in their undergraduate coursework or beyond in their calling or workplace.