The mission of the Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries (PASCAL) at the Anschutz Medical Campus of UC Denver is to provide centralized, high-density environmentally-sound permanent storage for library materials from the member campuses of the University of Colorado. PASCAL provides member libraries with rapid, efficient and safe access to and delivery of stored materials.

About PASCAL

PASCAL, the Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries, is the state-of-the-art high density library storage facility located on the CU Anschutz campus. Operating since 2001, the Strauss Health Sciences Library shares PASCAL with four other academic libraries: Norlin Library of CU Boulder, Auraria Library, and the Law and Penrose libraries of the University of Denver. Strauss Health Sciences Library staff member Michael Kelty is the on-site manager of PASCAL.

Based on a design pioneered at Harvard University, PASCAL can hold 1.6 million volumes in under 10,000 square feet of space with the possibility of adding four more modules of equal size in coming decades. The building is climate controlled with year round temperatures averaging 55 degrees and 35% relative humidity. The sculpture in front of PASCAL is an original creation by Colorado Springs artist, Bill Burgess. Inspired by the "educational role played by our libraries,"; Burgess titled his work, "Aspire."

Currently, volumes eligible for storage are older research materials that have value but are in low demand. All volumes are sorted and stored by size in cardboard trays on 30-foot high shelves identified by bar-codes. Individual library catalogs indicate if a particular book has been moved to PASCAL allowing patrons to make requests via their own library. PASCAL personnel make every effort to deliver items to requesting libraries within 48 hours.

The Prospector catalog reflects PASCAL's inventory, allowing patrons of any Prospector library to request materials from PASCAL and have them delivered to their individual libraries. PASCAL uses an operating agreement that would allow other academic libraries to join as participants in the future.

How to retrieve library resources from PASCAL:

If you are located on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, and find items in Library Search with a PASCAL location:

• You can request those items to be delivered to the Strauss Health Sciences Library for pickup.
• Use the Request button in Library Search and designate HSL Service Desk @ Anschutz as the pickup location.
• You will be contacted when your item(s) arrive. Materials waiting at the Strauss Health Sciences Library Service Desk can be picked up any time the library is open.

PASCAL holds a small number of rare journals and books that cannot be requested or checked out using the Request feature noted above. These rare materials are non-circulating which is indicated by their Status of BY APPOINTMENT.

To use rare items on-site at the library, contact Yumin Jiang by email, to make an appointment. For more information you may call the Strauss Health Sciences Library Service Desk at 303-724-2152 or the PASCAL facility at 303-724-1112.

Mailing address:
PO Box 6508
Campus Box F494
Aurora, CO 80045