The University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center has released an updated design for its award-winning Web site. Through this site users will have access to the AHC's educational and outreach activities, online collections, collections catalog, and news and events. This is the fourth generation of the AHC's Web site, the first of which went online in March 1995.

The site received more than 132,000 visitors (972,000 page views) in 2003. The AHC's Web site has won two national awards-the section on filmmaker Fritz Lang was named one of "Ten Cool Sites" for December 2002/January 2003 by the San Francisco-based museum The Exploratorium, which honors exceptional educational sites. The Chronicle of Higher Education named the site an Internet resource in April 1998 for the section on blacklisted screenwriter Adrian Scott.

Contained on the site will be information about how to use AHC collections, links to collection information including guides, finding aids and the online catalog, virtual exhibits, and digital projects, educational and outreach programs and events, an online store, information on how to make a gift, and a list of teacher resources. Other features will be incorporated as they are available, such as AHC faculty member's presentations, more online forms and policy documents, and being able to browse through different parts of the AHC collections according to subject areas.

The AHC is the University's repository of manuscript and special collections, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West (including but not limited to politics, settlement, and western trails), environment and conservation, the mining and petroleum industries, air and rail transportation, the performing arts (particularly radio, television, film, and popular music), journalism, and US military history.

Students and scholars from around the globe use these collections for research--last year researchers traveled from 45 states and 12 nations. The AHC also sponsors a wide range of scholarly and popular programs including lectures, concerts, symposia, and exhibits. Housed in a landmark building shared with the University Art Museum, access to the AHC is free and open to all. For further information contact the AHC by phone or its Web site.