Alcove 9: An Annotated List of Reference Websites

Education: Educational Databases and Resources

Current Awareness
Produced by the North Carolina Division of Instructional Technology, Current Awareness is a bibliography of technology and education-related topics, updated monthly.

Education Review
Extensive reviews of recently published books and resources in the field of education; older reviews are archived at this site. Information about EDREV, a listserv that announces new reviews is also available at this site.

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
ERIC was established by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1966. ERIC provides access to an immense collection of education-related literature. ERIC consists of a database and an extensive network of subject experts. The ERIC database uses the ERIC thesaurus for controlled vocabulary, and includes more than one million abstracts and citations to reports, documents, and articles.

Prior to January 2004, the ERIC network was comprised of sixteen subject-specific clearinghouses, adjunct and affiliate clearinghouses, and a number of support components. Each of the sixteen clearinghouses recommended materials for inclusion in the ERIC database, but also maintained additional extensive resources available by contacting the clearinghouse. As of January 2004, the ERIC clearinghouses were closed as part of a reorganization by ERIC's parent agency, the U.S. Department of Education. Some clearinghouses have transferred their operations to other institutions; others have shut down entirely. The following services offered by or formerly affiliated with ERIC are still available on the Internet:

• ERIC Digests--Full-text reports on educational topics prepared by the ERIC Clearinghouses, provide broad information on current subjects and point to sources for additional information.
• The Virtual Reference Desk--Information for librarians about providing reference services online, including an introduction to the Dig_Ref listserv and other features.
• Web Access to the ERIC Database--From the U.S. Department of Education. Search by keyword or using ERIC descriptors.
• Search ERIC Wizard--Frames-based version of the ERIC database, complete from 1966 to the present. The search engine is based on the ERIC Thesaurus; entered keywords are matched to thesaurus entries, which can then be used as search terms. Some limit options are also available.