The DISCUS-provided resource known as Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center now includes amazing updates with live job postings and an updated school search.

Ferguson's job profiles provide detailed, up-to-date information about today's hottest jobs, and the new feature puts actual employment opportunities at users' fingertips. Job seekers may now select a "Find Jobs" link associated with the profile to see a list of relevant job postings drawn from thousands of online sources, including corporate Web sites, government Web sites, newspapers, job boards, and professional associations. The postings can be filtered by company, location, salary, and other criteria, and each one includes a link to the original posting. Lists of job openings are updated frequently and can be saved to a user's folder within the Ferguson’s resource itself. A two-minute video demonstration of how to locate the job postings is accessible for educators and other DISCUS users.

All four school searches in Ferguson's Career Guidance Center – undergraduate, graduate, nursing, and vocational and technical – now feature a new design with a streamlined search and more features for filtering search results. This simpler presentation makes it faster and easier than ever for users to find and sort colleges and universities that match their needs.

Both Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center and the resource known as LearningExpress Library are provided to state residents as part of the South Carolina State Library’s workforce development initiative. Try them out today!

Elizabeth "Betsy" Long of Doby’s Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, South Carolina is one of ten librarians nationwide to receive the "I Love My Librarian" Award. The award, presented on December 8th, is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation, the New York Times, and the American Library Association. Library users are asked to nominate outstanding public, school, college, community college, or university librarians who have made a difference at their institutions.

As noted in Betsy’s nomination, the Doby’s Mill Elementary School community feels that she is an invaluable asset and everyone is proud to count her as one of their own: "We cannot imagine a candidate more qualified and deserving of this honor. In the ten years that our school has been open, she has created a library media center that helps students think critically, share their knowledge, create new information, and grow individually."

In addition to the sense of professional achievement, each of the ten "I Love My Librarian" Award winners received a cash prize, a travel stipend to attend the award reception in New York, and plaques for both them and their libraries.

EdTech 2011 was held during the last week of October in Myrtle Beach and, once again, DISCUS – South Carolina’s Virtual Library and the State Library were represented in the exhibit hall and in the breakout sessions. The EdTech conference provides professional development opportunities in all areas of educational technology, making it a valuable experience for South Carolina educators.

The DISCUS program solicited feedback from educators about the impact and use of the statewide electronic resources at their schools. Those who provided feedback were eligible to win a DISCUS mug. Congratulations to these lucky winners who can now sip a favorite beverage from their new insulated DISCUS mugs.

• Tina Humphries of Spartanburg School District Two
• Anne Lemieux of the Kershaw County School District
• Karen Tisdale of School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties

Feedback about the DISCUS program is welcomed at any time and can be submitted to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The South Carolina State Library and the DISCUS Program are both making greater use of online technology to keep DISCUS users aware and informed. An example of this is the increased use of screencasting. Screencasts – recordings of actions taking place on a computer screen – effectively serve as brief tutorials that can be viewed multiple times if desired. Recent screencasts include those listed below.

Black History Month Online Resources

DISCUS resources for this annual February celebration are highlighted in this edition of the State Library’s Lion’s Roar.

Retrieving DISCUS Usage Reports

This tutorial explains the basics of retrieving usage statistics and is helpful information for staff at DISCUS-participating institutions who are charged with this responsibility.

DISCUS – A Program Overview

An easy-to-understand introduction to DISCUS, this recording is useful for acquainting many audiences with the benefits of using South Carolina’s Virtual Library.

DISCUS Overview from South Carolina State Library on Vimeo.

If you have a DISCUS topic with wide appeal that would lend itself well to a screencast, please contact us with your suggestion.