N EWS F R O M ER I C Submitted by Nancy R. Preston The AskERIC Service for K-12 Educators The latest addition to the ERIC family is quickly gaining renown as a leading Internet resource for education information. AskERIC, a project of the ERIC Clearinghouse on I nformation Resources, was begun in October 1992 to provide question answering, help, and referral to K-12 educators through the Internet. The hallmark of AskERIC is the presence of a human intermediary to negotiate and respond to all questions posted to the system. AskERIC has grown steadily since its inception, and now an average of 200 to 250 electronic mail inquiries are received weekly. While anyone may post a question to AskERIC, services are specifically targeted to members of several state and regional networks where AskERIC is offered as a "menu option." Tar­ geted networks include TENET (Texas}, SENDIT (North Da­ kota), NYSERNet (New York), Learning Link (New York), and Community Learning Network (British Columbia). Formal arrangements with other networks are expected to be added in the future. In addition to responding to individual inquiries, AskERIC also offers a growing file of information sources through an FTP/ Gopher site. Called the AskERIC Free Library, this site in­ cludes news and information about AskERIC, select ERIC Digests in full text, prepared ERIC searches on current topics, resource guides, lesson plans, a list of popular "Qs & As," and the archives of some education-related listservs. Introduced in February, 1992, the AskERIC Free Library now logs over 5,000 inquiries each week. To send a question to AskERIC: email to askeric@ericir.syr.edu. To access the AskERIC Free Library through Gopher: (1) Gopher to ericir.syr.edu, and (2) enter Port #70. To FTP to the AskERIC Free Library: (1) log into your local host, and invoke the FTP program, (2) enter ericir.syr.edu as the remote host computer name, (3) enter anonymous as username, and ( 4) enter your email username as password (e.g. tomt@machine.edu). For more information, contact AskERIC at 030 Huntington Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 1 3244-2340; (315) 443-9114; ericir.syr.edu. - 24 ERIC Copyright Withdrawn In response to public comment requested in November, 1992, the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) has with­ drawn its permission allowing the contractor that produces the ERIC database to establish copyright, and has postponed indefi­ nitely the implementation of a new user-based pricing structure for the database. ERIC Director Robert M. Stone hill, in an April 9, 1993 letter, summarized the reactions of approximately 40 respondents, comprised mainly of college and university librar­ ians and adminstrators and national organizations including the American Library Association. According to Stonehill, most were specifically opposed to copyrighting the ERIC database, and almost as many were critical of the higher prices they might have to pay to use ERIC online or on CD-ROM. A small number of respondents supported ERIC's user fee proposal. Internet Access to ERIC Internet users can access the latest five years of the ERIC Database through SUINFO, a campus information system at Syracuse University. Searchable fields include author, title, descriptor word, descriptor phrase, and abstract. Instructions: 1 . Telnet acsnet.syr.edu (or 128.230.1.21). 2. At > prompt, type SUINFO. 3. At ENTER TERMINAL TYPE prompt, type VT100. 4. Bypass the USERID and PASSWORD prompts with the tab key. 5. At the COMMAND prompt, type SUINFO. 6. When prompted, type Y (yes) to continue. 7. Select ERIC through the menus, or type ERIC to enter directly. 8. Follow screen instructions to search. 9. To end the session, type LOGOFF. (Note: Whenever MORE or HOLDING appears in the lower right corner of the screen, hit the HOME, ENTER, or CLEAR key to advance.) Free Brochures for Parents and Teachers Current issues of interest to parents and teachers are addressed in Conclusion Brochures, a series of brochures produced by AC- Eduoaltlon Llbr•rl- • Vo1 17, No. 2 CESS ERIC, the outreach and dissemination arm of the ERIC system. The latest titles in the series include: How Important Is Homework? Should Gifted Students Be Grade Advanced? What Do Parents Need to Know about Children's Television Viewing? How Can I Improve My Child's Reading? and How Can I Be Involved in My Child's Education? Each brochure includes timely references and sources to contact for additional informa­ tion. Up to five copies of each title may be ordered at no charge, and the brochures may also be freely reproduced and distributed. To order, contact ACCESS ERIC, 1600 Research Blvd., Rockville, MD 20850-3172; 1-800-LET-ERIC; acceric@gwuvm.gwu.edu. New ERIC/IR Products Each year the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources (ERIC/IR) produces free and low-cost publications on selected topics in library /information science and educational technology. To order publications, or to request a complete product list, contact ERIC/IR, 030 Huntington Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-2340; 315-443-3640; eric@suvm.syr.edu. Digests are brief overviews of current topics. They are free with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (Many are also available through the AskERIC Free Library; see above.) Recent titles include: Networking: K-12 Postmodern Educational Technology Strategies for Teaching at a Distance Internet Basics Access· Points to ERIC: Update 1992 Myths and Realities about ERIC Monographs offer in-depth treatment of a selected topic with a literature review. To order, include payment for price listed plus $2.00 shipping and handling for the first item and $.50 for each additional i tern. (Make checks payable to Information Resources Publications.) Recent titles include: Libraries for theN aJionalEducation Goals, by Barbara K. Stripling. 1992, 1 19pp. $10.00. Trends and Issues in Educational Technology, by Donald P. Ely. 1992, 66pp. $7.50. Computer Applications in Education: The Best of ERIC 1991, by Pamela McLaughlin. 1992, 100pp. $10.00. Nancy R. Preston, Assistant Director at the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources, 030 Huntington Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-2340; (31 5) 443-3640; npreston(.