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Welcome to the tenth annual "Best Free Reference Websites List." In 1998, the Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of RUSA appointed an ad hoc task force to develop a method of recognizing outstanding reference websites. The task force became a formal committee at the 2001 ALA Annual Conference. This is the tenth "Best Free Reference Websites" list produced by the group. Past lists and all future lists will be published in each year's Fall issue of RUSQ. The annotations also are included in electronic resource records for the sites in the online catalog of the Library of Congress. An online version of the list appears on the MARS publications portion of the RUSA webpage, along with a new combined index to sites included in previous lists. A subject index is being created; links to it will be included on the webpage in the future.
Since the Web is a changing world, readers should note that the websites were as annotated on the date the member reviewed the site. Reviewing previous lists is not part of the charge of the committee.
Once again, the committee considered sites in all subject areas, selecting only free sites that meet the definition of ready reference and that would be of value in all types of libraries. The committee has established the following criteria for nominated websites:
1. Quality, depth, and usefulness of content
* Clear statement of the content, including any intended biases
* Appropriate for the intended authence
* Provide appropriate links to other websites
* Attention to detail - e.g., absence of grammatical errors
2. Ready Reference - usefulness for reference to answer specific questions
* May also give a broad perspective of a particular subject
3. Uniqueness of content
* Uniqueness of the resource as a whole, creativity
* Useful in a variety of reference settings
4. Currency of content
* Links are kept up to date
* Update frequency is appropriate for the subject matter
5. Authority of producer
* Authority and legality clearly stated
* If not easily recognizable, an explanation of the history and purpose of the organization
6. Ease of use
* User-friendly design - easy navigation * Good search engine
* Attractive - graphic design leaves a good impression on the user