ERIC question

[John Creech]

I feel like I just crawled out from under a rock or have drunk from the 
river of Lethe.  Would someone be kind enough to explain to me in simple 
terms just what is going on with ERIC?  I know that they were going to 
"close" and if I'm reading Web4Lib posts and the EDRS website correctly, 
the new service is to debut Sept. 1.

Right now I'm reading from the EDRS page

http://www.edrs.com/Help/PriorRestructure.cfm?ID=8

and I see the following:

"On October 1, 2004, ERIC will introduce, for the first time, 
free-of-charge full-text non-journal ERIC resources. These materials 
include more than 105,000 full-text documents authorized for electronic 
ERIC distribution during 1993 - July 2004, previously sold through 
E*Subscribe from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS, 
which also sells the ERIC microfiche, is scheduled to shut down operations 
on September 30, 2004."

My university has found monies for our library to subscribe to the online 
EDs.  I'm confused; sorry.  Will there still be an E*Subscribe service 
whereby libraries can subscribe to online EDs?  Help?!

John Creech, Electronic Resources and Systems Librarian
Brooks Library, Central Washington University