50 Years of ERIC

1964 - 2014
Illustrious History

• 50 years of service to education 

◦ Research

◦ Practice

◦ Professional development

◦ Decision-making

• Innovation

◦ Thesaurus

◦ Dissemination 

◦ Technologies

◦ Continuous, user-driven enhancements 

• Known, respected, and searched worldwide

2
Groundwork – Late Eisenhower Presidency

1957 – 1958

Increase in 

federally funded 

research

1959

Office of Education 

(OE) commissions 

feasibility study

1961

OE coins acronym 

“ERIC”

3
1957 and 1958 – Defining the Need

◦ Elvis is “King” when the need for a report 

repository is recognized in the Office of Education. 

◦ There was an increase in education research with 

no way to make the reports accessible to researchers,

government officials, and the public.

4
1959 to 1961 – Studying the Feasibility

• OE commissions “Feasibility Study Regarding the Establishment of 

an Educational Media Research Information Service,” 1959.

• The study recommends that the service “embrace all education 

research and research in other disciplines that have implications 

for educational theory and practice.”

• Acronym ERIC coined at OE to stand for “Educational Research 

Information Center,” 1961. 

5
1962-1965 – Kennedy and Early Johnson 

Presidencies

1962

Western Reserve 

Study – design for 

ERIC

1964

ERIC opens in OE

1965

Pilot project 

“Fingertip”

EDRS established

6
1962 – Designing the System

• Western Reserve Study, “The Library of Tomorrow—Today,” 

published as the design for ERIC.

• ERIC’s services defined as computer tapes, copies of source 

documents, abstracts, bibliographies, and a thesaurus. 

7
1964 – ERIC Gets Its Start

• ERIC Program begins in the Office of Education on May 15.

• “It was an office without funds and an office without a program,” 

but early framers had big plans. 

• Harold Haswell is first ERIC Director.

8
The Year ERIC Begins – First Ford Mustang, 

Signing of the Economic Opportunity Act, Hard 

Days Night (1964)

9
1965 – Piloting Dissemination 

• Project Fingertip pilots document dissemination to special 

education teachers.

• Resources sent to all state Boards of Education, 100 largest cities, 

and a school district in each congressional district.

• Each packet contains 1,746 documents, with program 

descriptions, indices, resumes, and the full text of each document.

10
1965 – ERIC Document Reproduction Service 

(EDRS)

• OE decides to provide public access to indexed reports and other 

grey materials.

• EDRS handles document reproduction for those wanting copies of 

ERIC documents.

• Microfiche is the state-of the art dissemination medium.

11
Also in 1965. . .

• President Johnson signs PL 89-10, the “Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act” (ESEA) of 1965.

• “No Child Left Behind” is the current incarnation of ESEA.

12
1966 – Rapid Expansion 

First 12 ERIC 

Clearinghouses 

established 

March and June

ERIC Processing and 

Reference Facility 

created

May

Phase 1 ERIC 

Thesaurus published

June

First issue of Research 

in Education (RIE) 

published

November

13
1966 – Expanding Capacity

• ERIC office quickly exceeds capacity for performing indexing.

• ERIC evolves into a decentralized system as OE awards contracts 

for first clearinghouses to acquire and process materials, 

especially materials not accessible through traditional publishers.

• Clearinghouses are subject-centered and typically placed in 

universities and education associations. 

• Harvey Marron is Director.

14
1966 – ERIC Processing and Reference 

Facility

• Established as the scheduler and coordinator of the decentralized 

ERIC system.

• Hosted Thesaurus development and maintenance. 

• Provided quality oversight to selection and indexing activities.

15
1966 – ERIC Thesaurus

• Formally known as “The Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors.”

• Designed as an authority list for the field of education.

• Widely used, respected and recognized as a standard in the field.

• The ERIC Thesaurus continues to develop and is available online.

16
1966 – Research in Education (RIE)

• First printing of the abstract journal “Research in Education” 

signifies ERIC’s official opening to the public.

• The monthly RIE publication announces new documents added to 

the ERIC database.

• The title was changed in 1974 from “Research in Education” to 

“Resources in Education.”

17
Events in 1966

• U. S. Department of Transportation formed.

• Ronald Reagan is elected Governor of California.

• U. S. engaged in combat in Vietnam. 

18
1967 – 1980 – ERIC Matures (Late Johnson, 

Nixon, Ford, and Carter Presidencies) 

1967 – 1969

ERIC changes name

Adds journals 

1970 – 1972

All 16 Clearinghouses on board

ERIC available on Dialog

ERIC transfers to the National 

Institute of Education 

1980

U. S. Department of Education 

is formed

19
1967 – 1980

• ERIC changes name from “Educational Research Information Center” to 

“Educational Resources Information Center,” 1967.

• Journal literature added to ERIC database; first issue of “Current Index to 

Journals in Education” (CIJE) published, 1969.

• All 16 ERIC Clearinghouses on board, 1970.

• Dialog offers ERIC database online, 1971.

• ERIC transferred to newly created National Institute of Education (NIE), 1972. 

• NIE transfers from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to the 

newly formed Department of Education, May 1980.

• Chuck Hoover is ERIC Director.

20
Events in the 1970s

• U. S. soldiers return home from Vietnam.

• Hippy era gives way to disco fever.

• First pocket calculator introduced.

21
ERIC Clearinghouses 1-4 (with Latest 

Affiliation and Longest Serving Directors) 

• Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, Ohio State University 

(Juliet Miller, Susan Imel)

• Assessment and Evaluation, University of Maryland (S. Donald 

Melville, Lawrence Rudner)

• Community Colleges, University of California at Los Angeles 

(Arthur Cohen)

• Counseling and Student Services, University of North Carolina at 

Greensboro (Garry Walz)

22
ERIC Clearinghouses 5-8 (with Latest 

Affiliation and Longest Serving Directors) 

• Disabilities and Gifted Education, Council for Exceptional Children 

(Donald Erickson, Bruce Ramirez, Cassandra Peters-Johnson)

• Educational Management, University of Oregon (Philip Piele)

• Elementary and Early Childhood Education, University of Illinois 

(Lilian Katz)

• Higher Education, George Washington University (Jonathan Fife, 

Adrianna Kezar)

23
ERIC Clearinghouses 9 -12 (with Latest 

Affiliation and Longest Serving Directors) 

• Information & Technology, Syracuse University (Donald Ely, 

Michael Eisenberg, David Lankes)

• Languages and Linguistics, Center for Applied Linguistics (Charles 

Stansfield, Joy Peyton)

• Reading, English, and Communication, Indiana University (Bernard 

O’Donnell, Carl Smith)

• Rural Education and Small Schools, Appalachia Educational 

Laboratory (Everett Eddington, Craig Howley, Hobart Harmon, 

Timothy Collins)

24
ERIC Clearinghouses 13-16 (with Latest 

Affiliation and Longest Serving Directors) 

• Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education, Ohio State 

University (Robert Howe, David Haury)

• Social Studies/Social Science Education, Indiana University (Irving 

Morrissett, John Patrick)

• Teaching and Teacher Education, American Association of Colleges 

for Teacher Education (Mary Dilworth)

• Urban Education, Teachers College, Columbia University (Edmund 

Gordon, Erwin Flaxman)

25
1981 – 1992 ERIC Goes Electronic (Reagan 

and Bush Presidencies)

1981-1985

500,000 ERIC entries

ERIC on CD-ROM

Office of Educational 

Research and 

Improvement (OERI) 

is formed

1989

ACCESS ERIC 

established

Adjunct 

Clearinghouses 

established

1990 -1992

ERIC on the Internet

Special projects 

began: AskERIC, 

GEM, Virtual 

Reference Desk

26
1981 - 1989

• ERIC database reaches 500,000 entries, 1983.

• ERIC database becomes available on CD-ROM, 1985.

• ERIC transfers to NIE’s successor, Office of Educational Research 

and Improvement (OERI), 1985.

• ACCESS ERIC and first Adjunct Clearinghouses established, 1989.

• Bob Chesley, Chuck Hoover, Alan Moorehead are ERIC Directors.

27
Events in the 1980s

• Motorola introduces first mobile phone.

• Space Shuttle Challenger explodes after take-off. 

• Cold War ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

28
1992

• ERIC debuts on the Internet.

• AskERIC launched by the Information & Technology Clearinghouse 

at Syracuse University.

• Other special projects start up: Gateway to Educational Materials 

(GEM) and Virtual Reference Desk (VRD).

• Bob Stonehill is ERIC Director.

29
ERIC Support Components (with Longest 

Serving Directors)

• ACCESS ERIC – outreach and communications (Lynn Smarte).

• ERIC Document Reproduction Service – document conversion and 

delivery (Peter Dagutis).

• ERIC Processing and Reference Facility – coordination, data 

quality, and ERIC Thesaurus (Ted Brandhorst).

30
1993 – 2003 – ERIC in the Internet Age (Clinton 

and Early George W. Bush Presidencies)

1993

ERIC begins 

indexing books

1994 - 1998

National Library of 

Education (NLE) 

founded

ERIC transfers to NLE

EDRS begins online 

document delivery

1999 – 2003

1 million ERIC 

records

Institute of 

Education Sciences 

founded

31
1993 – 2003

• ERIC adds books to the database, 1993.

• National Library of Education (NLE) founded, 1994.

• ERIC transfers to NLE, 1995.

• EDRS begins electronic document delivery, 1997.

• ERIC database reaches 1 million entries, 1999.

• ERIC joins the new Institute of Education Sciences (IES), 2002.

• Pat Coulter and Keith Stubbs are ERIC Directors.

32
An ERIC Clearinghouse Website – 1997

33
AskERIC Website – 2001

34
ERIC Website – 2001

35
2002 – Education Reform Act Establishes the 

Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

• ERIC Becomes Part of IES

36
ERIC Website – 2003

37
2004 – 2012 – ERIC Redesigned (Bush 

Second Term and Obama Presidencies)

2004

ED consolidates ERIC 

operations

ERIC launches a single 

web portal

2005 - 2009

Release of Online 

Submission System 

Microfiche Digitization 

Project underway

2010 - 2012

Debut on social media

1.4 million records in 

ERIC

38
2004 

• U. S. Department of Education consolidates ERIC under a single 

contract.

• Production of microfiche ceases.

• ERIC becomes an all-electronic service.

• A single new website replaces 20 separate sites.

• Luna Levinson is ERIC Director.

39
ERIC Website – 2004

40
2005 – 2012

• ERIC opens Online Submission System for individual author papers 

and reports, 2005.

• ERIC digitizes legacy microfiche collection of 340,000 documents, 

2006 – 2009.

• ERIC establishes presence on Facebook and Twitter, 2010. 

• Records in ERIC exceed 1.4 million, 2012.

41
ERIC Website – 2012

42
2013 to Present – ERIC Transition (Phase 1)

August 2013

ERIC releases new 

streamlined website

September –

December 2013

Review of ERIC policies 

and procedures 

January 2014

ERIC adopts new 

Selection Policy 

43
ERIC Transition – August 2013 to January 

2014

• ERIC releases new streamlined website at eric.ed.gov to enhance 

usability and simplify searching for a broadening audience.

• Advisory Group formed to assist in review of collection policies.

• New Selection Policy adopted in January to focus on collecting 

education research.

• Erin Pollard is ERIC Program Officer. 

44
ERIC Transition – February 2014 Through 

Remainder of the Year (Phase 2)

March 2014

ERIC database and 

Thesaurus made 

openly accessible

Spring/Fall 2014

New ERIC Topic Pages 

under development

Remainder 2014

Further enhancements 

to increase usefulness 

45
ERIC Transition – February 2014 Through 

Remainder of the Year 

• ERIC database and Thesaurus files made free and open for 

download without a license.

• ERIC developing topic pages with informative, peer-reviewed 

summaries designed for a general audience and links to valuable 

resources.

• ERIC continues the long tradition of ongoing innovation and 

enhancement.

46
ERIC Website – 2014

47
Special Thanks 

The ERIC Team would like to extend recognition to:

◦ ERIC founders and early innovators: 

◦ Office of Education - Thomas Clemens, Frank Schick, John Lorenz, Winslow Hatch, C. M. 

Flynt, Harold Haswell, Lee Burchinal, Harvey Marron.

◦ Western Reserve University – Allen Kent.

◦ University of Michigan – Frederick Goodman.

◦ Former Directors and staff from ED, ERIC Clearinghouses, EDRS, ERIC Facility, 

and ACCESS ERIC.

◦ Publishers and other contributors to the ERIC collection.

◦ ERIC searchers everywhere. 

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For More ERIC History . . .

• Trester, Delmer J. (1979). “ERIC – The First 15 Years. A History of 

the Educational Resources Information Center.” Available from 

http://eric.ed.gov (ED195289).

• Colker, Laura J. (2000). “Reminiscences From the Field: The 

Continuing Story of ERIC.” Available from http://eric.ed.gov 

(ED437937).

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