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Current Information: The
New ERIC
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On March 18, 2004 the Department of Education announced the award of the contract for the new ERIC system to to Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) of Rockville, Md. (CSC previously held the ERIC Facility and the EDRS contracts.) The new contractor has begun work, the Steering Committee and the Content Experts are also working. They are behind schedule, but that was expected. They rolled out the new database interface on September 1, 2004, but the list of journals to be indexed, new content, and the 2004 backlog are behind schedule. As part of a restructuring authorized by PL 107 279, the Department of Education decided not to renew the contracts with the Clearinghouses. The service component contracts also were not renewed. Since the Clearinghouses were the entities that constructed the ERIC database, this has implications for the content and accessibility of the database. Additionally, a focus on scientifically based research leads some observers to wonder whether qualitative research and the exchange of ideas will no longer be valued, and may no longer be seen as important information to be preserved and disseminated. In June of 2003 the Department of Education issued a Statement of Work that radically changed the way the ERIC database will be constructed and delivered. Bids on that SOW were due on August 18, 2003. Although the SOW anticipated an award date of mid-October, the contract was not actually awarded until March 18, 2004.. This site is an attempt to pull together information that will be helpful in analyzing and acting upon the situation. Last update April 22, 2005. (Last update is a summary of the AERA panel discussion and text of my remarks from AERA.) |
Who
to Contact
Suggestions on how to
contact
Now that the contract has been awarded it is not clear what the best approach will be. I'll leave the contact information that was previously posted, but encourage readers to wait until next steps become clear.
People who are knowledgable on this issue have said that our Congressional Representatives or Secretary Paige are the people most likely to be able to make a difference in how any changes are accomplished. The Department of Education changes and the bills which initiated them are driven by Congressional concerns. Folks who see this as a right-wing movement will be interested to know that Ted Kennedy took a leadership role in moving this legislation through Congress. Since the draft Statement of Work was issued, Kennedy has also taken a leadership role in efforts to influence the Department of Education to retain the Clearinghouses and other important aspects of the current ERIC system. Kennedy contact information: 317 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 | 202/224-4543 FAX: 202/224-2417 Email: senator@kennedy.senate.gov
Congressional Contacts: Here is a complete list of the cosponsors of the The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, and of the members of the relevant committees in the current congress.
Of course some will still want to ask for clarification from within the Department of Education:
The pending contract for operation of the ERIC system is a source of concern for some librarians and education faculty. ERIC clearinghouse contracts expired in December 2003, and the ERIC support contracts end in June 2004. (Recently extended to September 30th for ERIC Document Delivery Service) On June 27, 2003, Department of Education issued a Request for Proposals including a Statement of Work for a new ERIC. It mandates a centralized online database product and there is no mention of the clearinghouses, except in their role as expiring contractors cooperating with the new contractor. In an Amendment 01 posted July 22 the Department adds the Quality Assurance Plan and a Question and Answer segment as well as postponing the due date for proposals to August 18. For more details see a complete analysis of the Statement of Work.
The contract for ERIC was awarded on March 18, 2004 to to Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) of Rockville, Md. (Current holder of the ERIC Facility contract.)
On March 26, 2003 The Department of Education published a notice about ERIC.
Here is the substance of the notice:
General Information: The Department of Education intends to post a
Draft Statement of Work (SOW) for public comment for the Educational Resources
Information Center (ERIC) in 3-4 weeks. Parties who are interested in this effort
should review the Draft SOW when it is posted in http://www.fedbizopps.gov
. If you have questions after reviewing the Draft SOW, please contact Jeff Halsted.
(Jeff Halsted, Contract Specialist, Phone 202-708-8283, Fax 202-708-9817, Email
Jeff.C.Halsted@ed.gov ) (Notice:
Mail to Jeff Halsted now bounces and he is no longer listed as an employee 12/03)
The Fiscal Year 2004 Education Budget Summary and Background Information dated February 3, 2003 shows a listing of programs to be eliminated. ERIC is not listed on this list. The actual Budget for the Department of Education was passed Jan. 22, 2004.
These pages are a project of the Education and Behavioral Science Section of ACRL/ALA
Maintained by
Kate Corby
Education and Psychology Bibliographer
Michigan State University Libraries