http://www.preservationvirginia.org/jr.html?process=0

The archaeological site of Jamestown, the failed English Settlement in Virginia that was established in 1607, is under excavation, and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities' website detailing its progress is very thorough and provides many different features to tell Jamestown's story. Visitors unfamiliar with the story of Jamestown should start by clicking on "History of Jamestown", near the bottom of the page. Within the text are hyperlinks to concepts that have examples or require more in depth explanation. Visitors can view past exhibits that were at Jamestown, by clicking on "Exhibits", on the left hand menu. Two digitized exhibits from 1998 and 1999 are both accessible here. The "Findings" section enables visitors to click on a drawing of a map of various sites on the excavation site. Once clicked, a photograph of the actual excavation site will be revealed, along with an explanation of the project's findings. The "Resources" section, mainly for researchers, is not to be missed, as it includes the rather fun "Interactive Exercises" that shows how archaeology is done at the Jamestown site. [KMG]

http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/index.html

The Field Guide to the Californias is a wonderful part of the excellent San Diego Natural History Museum website. The Field Guide includes "Illustrated Guides", "Checklists", "Explore More About...", and "Places to Explore". The Illustrated Guides section has links to many types of flora and fauna, such as "Arthropods", "Reptiles and Amphibians", "Mammals", and "Plants". Each type leads to a further breakdown of guides, by species of animal or plant. Visitors interested in birds will find "Birds: Wrenderings" an archive of newsletters of the San Diego County Bird Atlas project to be of particular interest. Go under the heading "Explore More About..." on the right side of the page, to be able to read newsletters from 1997-2002. Other documents of the project, such as "Project Overview", "Volunteer Work" and "Reports from the Field" can also be accessed from this page. Visitors interested in getting out in the fresh air should check out "Places to Explore", which provides links to "Guided Nature Walks--Canyoneers", "Wild Lands Exploration" and "Tide Pools in San Diego County". [KMG]

http://digital-library.usma.edu/collections/maps/

The United States Military Academy Library has a rather impressive map collection, and they continue to add to their digitized map holdings via this website. The maps here are divided into three sections: "Civil War Maps", "Colonial and Federal Era Maps", and "West Point Maps". The "West Point Maps" area only contains five maps, but they include several unusual topographical maps which are not widely known from the early 1900s. The "Civil War Maps" area is quite a find, and visitors can make their way through 40 different maps which document defense lines, battle strategies, and basic political boundaries. The site is rounded out by 55 maps from the colonial period that document early renderings of the American colonies, Revolutionary War battlegrounds, and rivers of strategic importance. [KMG]

http://cdi.uvm.edu/collections/getCollection.xql?title=Fletcher%20Family

The University of Vermont Libraries' Center for Digital Initiatives has continued to add to their online offerings in recent years. This latest collection is quite a pip, and it contains family correspondence from the Fletcher Family of Vermont. The family correspondence begins in 1826, and it is primarily focused around several family members who moved west to New York, Ohio, and other parts of the heartland. Throughout these letters, the various correspondents detail the process of creating and managing their new farms and the documents leave no fact (or price) unexplored as they discuss the land, grains, stock, and groceries. All told, there are 139 letters in the collection, and visitors can click on the "Browse the Collection" section to view the letters listed by author. Additionally, visitors can search the collection by keyword, title, or subject. [KMG]

http://www.vam.ac.uk/microsites/baroque/

Some people might think of the Baroque movement as overly fussy and ostentatious, and if they do, this website might win them over to its charms. Those who are already converted will definitely want to spend some time wandering over this online exhibit designed to complement a in situ exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. On the homepage, visitors will find that they can listen to some "greatest hits" from the Baroque age of classical music, and then make their way over to the "The Exhibition" section. Here they can learn about the emergence of this global style through some short explanatory texts, all of which have images drawn from the collection itself. No such site would be complete without an "Interactive Global Baroque" map, and this section allows users to click around the world in search of Baroque masterpieces. Finally, the "Video & Music" area contains excerpts from an oratory Latin Mass, a religious procession from Holy Week in Seville, and some additional musical selections. [KMG]

http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/WomenHistory/index.html

Since the United States Post Office was established in the late 18th century, women have struggled to be recognized within its ranks. One of the earliest instances involving such a situation was when Mary Katherine Goddard petitioned none other than President George Washington after having been removed from office because of her gender. This intriguing online exhibit created by the National Postal Museum takes a close look at the role that women have played in this American institution. Visitors can click on the "Women in Postal History" section to read a series of historical essays which explore topics that include women in postal folklore and postal women in the early republic. The "Women Today" area provides a short essay on the recent history of women's involvement in the Post Office. The final section, "In their Own Words" allows users to listen to excerpts from oral histories conducted with female employees. Some of the subjects covered here include the work environment, promotions, family life, and working while pregnant. [KMG]

http://www.correctionhistory.org/index.html

The mission of the New York Correction History Society is "to pursue, preserve and promote the history of correction services in New York." The Society helps fulfill their mission via this site which has an ample offering of institutional history, inmate art, philosophical musings, and perspectives of the role of such facilities in the history of the Empire State. The homepage is a bit busy, visually speaking, and there isn't a formal index of subjects covered within, but a bit of careful investigation will yield some rich material. Visitors will note that one of the finds here is a virtual tour of Rikers Island from 1948, and it is nestled right next to a historical essay on the jail system in Westchester County. Further down near the bottom of the homepage, visitors can learn about a 1987 coloring book titled "Getting to Know Your New York City Department of Correction". There's much more to see here, and the site does a nice job of covering the various aspects of the correctional experience. [KMG]

http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/380

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) presents this exhibition of artwork by South African artist William Kentridge. Kentridge works include drawings, sculptures, stage sets and prints, but is probably best known for his stop-motion animated films. Kentridge makes his films from charcoal drawings that he erases and re-draws, to create motion. A two-minute video on the site, "William Kentridge on his process" shows Kentridge filming a drawing of ocean waves hitting rocks. He steps up to the drawing, erases and draws, then walks across his studio to the camera, shoots 2 frames, and repeats. He estimates that for a 4 second film, 100 frames, he will walk across the studio 50 times. In other short online videos, Kentridge discusses the music and characters in his films. In an audio interview recorded in 2006, the artist talks about his drawings and early experiments with film. [DS]