October 15 , 2007

American Library Association Chooses Bill of Rights Institute as the MARS Best Free Reference Website of 2007  

Arlington , VA – The American Library Association (ALA) named the Bill of Rights Institute a best free reference site of 2007 on October 9, 2007. This annual award is given by Machine-Assisted Reference Section of the Reference and User Services Association of the ALA, a group of library professionals interested in new and evolving technology that impacts the reference and research department of libraries, to acknowledge “outstanding reference sites in the World Wide Web.” The Bill of Rights Institute’s website (www.BillofRightsInstitute.org) was described as “…an excellent resource for both teachers and high school students.”

Websites were evaluated based on the quality of content on the webpage, availability, ease of use, whether the content is up-to-date. The ALA recognized the Bill of Rights Institute and other winners for the “uniqueness of the resource as a whole.”

“The Bill of Rights Institute appreciates the American Library Association for recognizing the Bill of Rights Institute’s effort to produce quality educational materials for students and teachers on the Bill of Rights, Constitution, and other Founding documents,” says Victoria Hughes, President of the Bill of Rights Institute, of the award.

Jason Wilson, Manager of Technology and Student Services, says the Institute “…will continue to provide and expand upon the free materials that teachers and students have come to expect from us with the addition of a new section dedicated to American Founders, weekly electronic lessons, interactive games for students, and an upcoming redesign of the BillofRightsInstitute.org site.”

The Bill of Rights Institute offers free online resources for students and teachers to educate them about the words and ideas of America's Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our Founding documents, and how our Founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society. Bill of Rights in the News, Bill of Rights in Times of Crisis, and Landmark Supreme Court Cases are free electronic lessons delivered to teachers’ inboxes that connect America’s Founding principles to students’ lives.

DoYouHavetheRight.org and BeingAnAmerican.org are other Bill of Rights Institute websites and are geared directly to students, offering resources about the Bill of Rights and Constitution, while informing them about essay contests and summer programs hosted by the Institute. In September 2007, the Bill of Rights Institute unveiled its new online Constitution Day Module which featured lesson plans and activities for students. For more information on the Bill of Rights Institute’s free web resources contact, Kimberly Ash, Vice President of Marketing, at 1-800-838-7870, ext. 18.

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