Designed to demonstrate that the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database is a useful source of information for educational practitioners at all levels, this digest provides an introduction to the ERIC system and describes the National Education Practice File Project (NEPF). This 2-year project was designed to find out from educational practitioners the kinds of information they would find useful, locate appropriate materials, and make this information easily accessible to its audience through the development of a computerized file of practitioner-oriented materials. An overview of the ERIC system briefly describes its acquisition and processing activities; the creation of computerized files for online searching; the publication of two monthly indexes, Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); and the types of materials the system contains. Information on the NEPF includes the purpose of the study, its participants and activities, and the results of an evaluation of the resulting computerized file made up of documents that were already in the ERIC file as well as new acquisitions. Emphasis on practitioner documents since the completion of ERIC is briefly demonstrated, and a study of the cost and usefulness of ERIC that was conducted for the Department of Education is noted. Hints on accessing ERIC are also provided, and a list of four references complete the digest. (JB)