Encyclopedia of Alabama Surpasses One Million Page Views

June 15, 2009

For Immediate Release
Date: June 15, 2009
Contact: Laura Hill, hilllau@auburn.edu, 334-844-4008

The state's free online reference resource, the Encyclopedia of Alabama, achieved a significant milestone by surpassing its one millionth page view during the first week of June. The nationally recognized Web site currently offers more than 750 articles on Alabama's culture, geography, natural environment and history. EOA was recently named a "Best of Free Reference" by Library Journal in its annual listing of quality print and online resources.

"Reaching one million page views less than nine months after launch is indeed gratifying to all of us who have worked for many years to make EOA a reality," said Robert J. "Jeff" Jakeman, EOA's editor. "And it comes on the heels of another important measure of EOA's success--its selection as a top online reference source by the leading publication in the library field. I am grateful to everyone who has given his or her time, knowledge and expertise, and provided funding to help create this important resource for our state."

Visitors to the site are interested in a variety of topics, with Harper Lee and her book "To Kill a Mockingbird" combining to rank as the most popular. Among the 50 most-viewed pages are the articles on the Creeks, Choctaws, and Cherokees; the Battle of Horseshoe Bend; Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"; Paul "Bear" Bryant; Mobile's Mardi Gras; George Washington Carver; agriculture, plantation architecture, and sharecropping and tenant farming; Helen Keller; and Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. EOA's entries on Alabama's climate, minerals, rivers and watersheds, geology, birds, reptiles, endangered species, fishes and fossils also are on the top 50 list.

EOA was officially launched on September 15, 2008, at a ceremony with Governor Bob Riley. Since then the site has recorded visitors from more than 200 Alabama communities, all 50 states and more than 160 countries and territories. Links to EOA are found on Web pages hosted by the Library of Congress, the Civil Rights Digital Library, schools systems around the country, tourism and economic development related sites, and blogs on a variety of topics.

The site was developed through a partnership between the Alabama Humanities Foundation and Auburn University. EOA's editorial staff is based in the Department of History, College of Liberal Arts, at Auburn. Current funding sources include the University of Alabama and the Alabama State Department of Education. A complete list of the people and organizations that funded the development of EOA may be found on the site. Visit the Web site: www.EncyclopediaofAlabama.org.