Congressional Digest
Published ten times a year, each issue is devoted to analysis of a single problem
of legislative concern facing Congress. Pro-con arguments are featured,
along with a summary of background information and recent action.
Where: Available fulltext
online in Academic Search Premier database (from the library homepage
click on Fulltext Articles, click on Academic Search Premier,
then type in your topic and enter congressional digest in Publication
box; If you are accessing this from off-campus, you will need your library
card barcode number).
Encyclopedia of Social Issues
In 6 volumes, this encyclopedia covers topics such as animal research, hate
crimes, and latchkey children. Provides summaries of key issues and, for
most topics, references to additional materials (either after the article or
in volume 6).
Where: Reference area, under ref HN57.E59 1997
The Reference Shelf
This series offers in-depth coverage of social issues and trends. Five
titles are published annually. Includes excerpts of opinion and information
from a variety of influential publications, typically from about 20 or so articles.
Where: The library has
print volumes from 1946-2001. Volumes can be found in Main Stacks area, and
are shelved individually by subject. To find which volumes deal with which
subjects, consult the library catalog by doing a title search for Reference
Shelf, and limit to relatively recent titles, e.g., published after 1990.
FINDING
PERIODICAL AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Academic Search Premier provides indexing for about 8000 periodicals,
and fulltext articles for nearly 5000 of those titles. From the Library
homepage, click on Fulltext Articles, then click on Academic
Search Premier. If you are accessing this from off-campus, you
will need your library card barcode number.
ProQuest Newspapers (NY Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor) From the Library homepage, click on Fulltext Articles, then under News click on ProQuest Newspapers. If you are accessing this from off-campus, you will need your library card barcode number.
SPEECHES
Often, a an expert or a leader in a specialized field of study is asked
to speak at an event precisely because he/she has an unusual or controversial
approach to some topic. Consult the following sources:
American Rhetoric (www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm). Online speech bank, including text, audio, and/or video.
Representative American Speeches. Published annually. Location: PS668.B3 Library has: 1943/44 - 2000/01
Vital Speeches of the Day. Published bimonthly. Location:
Online, available fulltext on Academic Search Premier. It is
also available on microfilm in the library; 1934-1993.
SEEING
OURSELVES THROUGH OTHERS' EYES
Nothing is quite as interesting as seeing how people in other
countries view events or issues of current interest. One
way to do this is to read news reports written by journalists
outside of the United States. For example:
The Economist (www.economist.com) is a weekly British magazine with emphasis on economics news. The library also has print issues for the most recent five years.
Maclean's (www.macleans.ca) is a weekly Canadian news magazine. The library also has print issues from 1983-2003.
The Times and the Sunday Times (www.timesonline.co.uk) from London with backfiles of articles available online.
World Press Review (www.worldpress.org)
is published weekly and reprints a variety of articles from periodicals worldwide. The
library also has print issues from 1984 to May 2004.
OTHER INTERNET
RESOURCES
There are hosts of interesting/exciting Internet sites useful
as information resources for current topics. For example:
Alternative Viewpoints on the Internet (www.altpress.org/mod/links/index.php) Provides access to over 400 resources across the political and social spectrum; compiled by the Alternative Press Center.
AlterNet (www.alternet.org) From the Institute for Alternative Journalism.
Opinion/Editorials (www.headlinespot.com/opinion/oped/) Links you to opinion pages for newspapers around the world.
Yahoo - Issues and Causes (dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Issues_and_Causes/)
Good collection of links on controversial topics.
tns; rev. gr 8/09