Encyclopedia of Arkansas vs Encyclopedia Virginia
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
encyclopediaofarkansas.net
Encyclopedia Virginia
encyclopediavirginia.orgSide by side
| Figure | Encyclopedia of Arkansas | Encyclopedia Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Online Encyclopedias | 8.1 (#8) | 8.1 (#9) |
| Content | The site offers text entries and media galleries about Arkansas people, places, events, legends, and lore. | The site publishes topical and biographical entries written by scholars, edited for a general audience, and fact checked. |
| Editorial review | Entries go through a comprehensive review process and are fact-checked for accuracy. | Entries go through contributor and editor review, and are separately reviewed by fact checkers and copy editors. |
| Education | The site provides lesson plans and student activities for educators and students. | The site offers scaled entries labeled for Grade 4, Grade 8, and Grades 11+. |
| Founded | 2006 | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | Virginia Humanities says it is headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia. |
| Purpose | The encyclopedia collects and shares information about Arkansas history and culture for historians, teachers, students, and others. | Encyclopedia Virginia is a free multimedia resource about Virginia’s history and culture for students, teachers, and communities. |
| Support | For general questions or technical problems, users can contact the encyclopedia by email or phone. | Staff cannot assist with individual research questions; the FAQ suggests contacting the Library of Virginia. |
Plans
In their own words
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free web reference about Arkansas history and culture, with material for historians, teachers, students, and other readers. As of January 2026, it offered more than 8,200 entries and nearly 18,000 pieces of media. Readers can browse entries and media alphabetically, by category, county, or time period, and use County Explorer to explore Arkansas counties. A history calendar presents events associated with particular dates.
Alongside text entries and media galleries, the site provides lesson plans, student activities, quizzes, and history programs. It has an En Español section and continues to add photographs, maps, videos, quizzes, and lesson plans. Entries are reviewed and fact checked, with volunteer reviewers involved; public comments are moderated but are not fact-checked. Some sensitive images are blurred and carry content warnings. The project also invites people to suggest topics or media, write or review entries, and volunteer.
Encyclopedia Virginia
Encyclopedia Virginia is a free multimedia and interactive web resource about Virginia’s history and culture. Its topical and biographical entries are written by scholars for general readers, then reviewed by contributors and editors, fact checkers, and copy editors. Articles can include primary documents, images, audio and video clips, and virtual tours; the wider media collection also contains podcasts and 3D objects. Readers can search or browse alphabetically, by biography, category, map, or media. The Encyclopedia Virginia Map App presents historical events through maps, distance-ordered lists, and category filters. Classroom-oriented versions are labeled for Grade 4, Grade 8, and Grades 11+. New entries continue to be published. Since 2012, the project has been digital publisher for the ongoing Dictionary of Virginia Biography with the Library of Virginia. Text uses a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. The site says it does not own copyrights to displayed media objects.