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The ASKERIC website, www.askeric.org/Eric, puts the resources of multiple libraries at any computer user’s fingertips. In fact, it puts the resources of the federally-funded Educational Resources Information Center on any screen, and it does so for free.

Service-learning aficionados will be pleased to learn that over 2,000 documents in the database contain the phrase “service-learning.” Fortunately, the search page allows users to focus their queries by using “and,” “not” and “or.” For example, an elementary special education teacher may find it useful to search for mathematics lesson ideas by entering “service-learning AND elementary AND math.” That query returns a very manageable six hits. The researcher need not necessarily search by subject, however. Potential search categories include everything from author to geographic source.

The search command is only one of the site’s many options. Visitors may also choose to click “Topics A-Z,” for outcomes that have already been trimmed and organized by the ERIC staff. After clicking on “Service-Learning” as a topic, users are guided through a host of valuable web resources that offer assistance for everything from defining essential components to signing up for a service-learning listserve.

There is only one catch, if it may truly be called that. Although ERIC allows users to view abstracts, not all of the full-text documents are available for web-based access or downloading. To retrieve those documents, the user must place an order through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). The prices are, however, extremely reasonable. Furthermore, many citations provide a link to an online location of the text in full. Happy surfing.

Teachers, administrators, researchers and policymakers will find boatloads of useful information on the websites of the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, http://www.service-learning.org/, and the National Service-Learning Partnership, http://www.servicelearningpartnership.org/. In addition to valuable information on service-learning’s many productive outcomes, the Clearinghouse site has lists of syllabi that other teachers have used to integrate service-learning across subject areas. The Partnership page includes information on on-line service courses for college credit, presidential scholarships and free curricula that can be downloaded straight from the site.