In our March 2001 issue, we ran the first in a series of "Readers' Choice Awards" features, designed to help you understand which software vendors and programs your colleagues have enjoyed the greatest success with.

Our first Readers' Choice Awards focused on K-12 management software. Since that time, we have also covered technology training solutions (June) and curriculum software (September). This latest installment highlights our readers' top picks in digital reference materials.

Hundreds of readers voted on the eSchool News web site in October for what they considered to be the best electronic reference products in each of 10 categories. Keep in mind that quality is subjective, and what might be the best solution for one school might be inappropriate for another. Nevertheless, some clear winners emerged in every category.

General reference databases

Bigchalk Library was the overwhelming favorite among our readers in this category, capturing 59 percent of the votes. Many readers cited its ease of use for elementary students, with age-appropriate reading levels and student-friendly icons. One reader added, "A big plus is the inclusion of TV transcripts. Students today are visual media rich, and they are bound to make connections between what they've seen on TV and what they are learning about in school."

EBSCO Publishing's Curriculum Online was next, with 18 percent of the votes (one reader called it the "most complete" solution), followed by SIRS Knowledge Source (16 percent) and Gale Group Student Resource Center (5 percent). Other products cited by readers but not listed in the graphic above include Jones Knowledge e-Global Library and Thinkronize netTrekker.

Digital encyclopedias

BritannicaSchool, from Encyclopedia Britannica Educational, was the runaway favorite in this category, with 62 percent of the votes. Microsoft Encarta Online (13 percent), World Book Online (12 percent), and Grolier Online (11 percent) finished in a virtual dead heat for the runner-up spot.

"In my teaching level (fourth grade), I found that Encarta was most user-friendly for my students," wrote one reader, while another said she appreciated the variety of offerings within the Grolier product—seven comprehensive references in a single online source for students from third grade to college.

Social studies collections

ABC-CLIO's American Government series of CD-ROMs and internet resources was the No. 1 choice of readers in this category, garnering 53 percent of the votes. Grolier's Lands and Peoples Online was next, with 17 percent, followed by bigchalk U.S. History (10 percent), Gale Group History Resource Center (9 percent), and SIRS Government Reporter (7 percent).

Periodicals collections

Nearly half (49 percent) of respondents chose Gale Group's InfoTrac as their top pick in periodicals collections. ProQuest was fairly close behind, with 30 percent of the votes, followed by EBSCOHost (7 percent), H.W. Wilson Readers' Guide (6 percent), NewsBank NewsFile (3 percent), and SIRS Discoverer (3 percent).