American Memory: http://www.lcweb2.gov/ammem/

The American Memory site is run by the Library of Congress, and consists of exhibitions of material from the library. It is therefore not an historical site in the sense that it is not dedicated to the study of one person or event, however, it is a good, if random, archive of materials, ranging from George Washington to baseball. Almost all information on this page is in the form of primary documents, including a number of paintings, maps, motion pictures and sound bytes. The only secondary writing is background information, allowing the reader to interpret the material for himself. A unique feature of this site is that the reader can see facsimile copies of documents, as opposed to only transcriptions. For example, instead of reading the content of the Emancipation Proclamation, a person reads the Emancipation Proclamation. Due to the nature of the website's material, American Memory is conveniently broken up into exhibits, the newest of which are featured on the front page. The browse page features a list of all the exhibits and includes short synopses of them as well, and there are several search engines along the way to help.

American Memory, on the whole, is a very readable site. Despite its heavy use of graphics, one really doesn't get lost in all of the pictures. When the page does employ background information or explanation, it is both readable and to the point. There is some danger in becoming lost in all the links provided by the page. At times they are very circular and also under-labeled. Despite American Memory's heavy reliance on pictures and graphics it is not slow loading (on a LAN). American Memory also includes several multi-media exhibits. These are impressive, but are not overdone. They, like the other exibits, are presented for what they are, audio or film clips that are a part of American history and nothing more. No exhibit features technology beyond its immediate need, keeping the exhibits less cluttered. A key feature that appears in all of the exhibits, as well as for the whole page, is a relatively good search engine. For a sight with so many features and links to follow, this is a huge help for anyone.

The Library of Congress' American Memory page is not meant for serious, extensive historical research. There is simply not enough information on any one topic. However, it is an interesting and thought provoking site, that anyone can enjoy and walk away from with a better understanding of the American experience. While it is designed with the general public in mind, it does not insult the knowledge or experience of the historian either. Overall it is a successful historical web page.