ENGLISH II – CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES November 23, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Uncategorized.add a comment
Students in English II classes, here are some suggestions about how to begin your search. Don’t hesitate to talk with Res library staff if you need more help finding resources.
Background Reading
Before you start marshalling your arguments, take the time to do some background reading on your topic. Look for a balanced overview that will give you a sense of the key issues and points of debate as well as some history on the topic. One of the most important reasons to do background reading is to help you find subject terms, names, and keywords that you can use when searching for further resources on your topic.
Some places to look for overviews: books (they will often use the term “overview” or “history” in the title or subtitle), any of the databases listed below, a general encyclopedia (depending on your topic), general news magazines like Time or Newsweek.
Evidence to Support Your Argument
There are different types of evidence that might support your argument:
- “facts” about your topic: for example, a description of the various methods of contraception
- statistics: demographic information (for example, the number of teens murdered by handguns in the U.S. each year), public opinion surveys (for example, the number of people who favor the death penalty), usage (for example, the number of 13-year-olds who admit having tried marijuana)
- research studies : for example, a study showing that breaking large high schools into smaller units reduces the dropout rate
- anecdotal evidence: this is usually one or more stories that highlight a specific individual or place but illustrate the larger issue or topic (for example, the story of an illegal immigrant who cannot get healthcare for her children)
Think about what kind of evidence will best support the various points you are raising. If you are having trouble finding sources for evidence, see the Res Library staff.
Citation Information
Collect the citation information for your bibliography as you do your research.
- Check your Writing Stylus and get an idea of the different information you will need for each type of resource: book, print article, article from an online database, website, video, etc.
- Several of the subscription databases have a feature that helps you format your citation for the article you are viewing.
- Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University is an excellent resource to consult (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/)
Books
Some series that present articles on various controversial topics are:
- Opposing Viewpoints
- Taking Sides
- Current Controversies
- Issues in Focus
- Social Issues Firsthand
- Issues on Trial
- Pro/Con
- The History of Issues
Most public libraries will have at least some of these. You can get others through InterLibrary Loan.
Use a library catalog to find books on your topic. Use the bibliographies in books and articles to find more resources. Use the call number of a good book to browse the shelves for more books.
Res Library Subscription Databases (See the blue sheets for user IDs and passwords)
- Reader’s Guide Full Text Select. This is a database of articles published in magazines. Once you login, click on the checkbox next to “Reader’s Guide.”
- Current Issues : Reference Shelf Plus. A database of full-text articles from key publications covering a variety of current social, scientific, health, political, and global issues. The editor-selected resources are designed to provide a well-rounded overview of the topic. Once you login, click on the checkbox next to “Current Issues: Ref Shelf Plus.”
- FACTS.com Issues & Controversies. A great resource for controversial issues as well as tracking current events. There are quick links to “Issues in the Headlines” on the right side of the main page. To see all the topics, click on the “Access All Topics” link. You can also use the Subject Index along the left-side menu.
- FACTS.com Today’s Science. Useful for science-related research as well as controversial topics related to science, medicine, and technology. There are quick links to “Issues in the Headlines” on the right side of the main page. To see all the topics, click on the “Access All Topics” link. You can also use the Subject Index along the left-side menu.
- CQ Researcher. Provides in-depth coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the U.S. economy. Once you login, choose “CQ Researcher Online.” The Pro/Con link on the left-side menu provides a list of topics to browse.
- Current Issues in Health. Offers specially selected resources on health topics. You can use the Search Box or drill down through a particular topic. Search results can be full-text or just the article citation. Once you login, click on the checkbox next to “Current Issues: Health.”
- Britannica Online. This online encyclopedia provides basic, introductory information and can be a good place for an overview of your topic.
- EBSCO Science Reference Center. Once you login, click on “EBSCOhost Research Databases” to get to the Science Reference Center. It includes chapters from books, reports, and articles from journals and magazines.
- FirstSearch is really a number of databases under one umbrella. You can search up to 3 databases at one time. Three general databases are WilsonSelectPlus, ArticleFirst, and ECO. Depending on your topic, you might want to also search MEDLINE (for health and medicine topics) and ERIC (for education-related topics). Once you login, click on the List All Databases link. To select a database to search, click in the checkbox to the left of the database name. Once you have selected your databases, click the Select button. Click on the Advanced Search link; this will give you more control of your search and better results. Click on the title of an article to get more information about that article; most article citations have at least an abstract or summary to help you get an idea of what the full article is about. Some articles have a link for View Full Text in HTML format and/or View Full Text in PDF format. You can click on those links and get the full text of the article. If you have an option, choose PDF. Some articles in your Results list will only have a link that says See more details for locating this item. If you think the article will be useful to you, print out the citation and bring it to the library and we will request a copy of the article from another library.
Web Resources
If you use web sites, you must absolutely know who the author is!
- Start with the Librarians’ Internet Index (http://www.lii.org)
- The Christian Science Monitor (http://www.csmonitor.com) is a newspaper with an excellent website. Use the Search box to find articles on a variety of topics.
- The Public Library of Law (http://www.plol.org) provides free access to selected U.S. legal materials. See your handout or library staff for the correct username and password.
- The Multnomah County Library Homework Center Social Issues page (http://www.multcolib.org/homework/sochc.html) has a good set of links on a variety of issues, but be warned that not all links are active.
- FRONTLINE from PBS (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/) produces excellent television news documentaries on timely and controversial topics. Many of these programs are available on VHS or DVD through your local public library.
- The Internet Public Library Social Issues and Social Welfare Subject Guide (http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/soc80.00.00) provides links to online resources in a number of categories.
- ProCon.Org (http://www.procon.org This site is dedicated to presenting issues in a non-partisan, pro/con format.
SOCIOLOGY FINAL EXAM RESEARCH November 19, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Help with Assignments.add a comment
Here are the links for the web resources on the handout you received during your library visit. Students who were on Kairos can pick up a handout from Ms. Boe or from the library.
SUBSCRIPTION DATABASES
- Britannica Online (http://www.school.eb.com)
- Reader’s Guide Full Text Select (http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/) Once you login, click on “Reader’s Guide.”
- Current Issues : Reference Shelf Plus (http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/) Once you login, click on “Current Issues : Ref Shelf Plus.”
- Current Issues in Health (http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/) Once you login, click on “Current Issues : Health.”
- Issues & Controversies (http://www.fofweb.com) If you are trying to decide on a topic, use the Subject Index along the left-side menu or the “Issues in the Headlines” section on the right side of the main page.
- Today’s Science (http://www.fofweb.com) If you are trying to decide on a topic, use the Subject Index along the left-side menu or the “Issues in the Headlines” section on the right side of the main page.
- EBSCO Science Reference Center (http://search.ebscohost.com) Once you login, click on “Search EBSCOhost Research Databases.”
- CQ Researcher (http://library.cqpress.com) Once you login, click on “CQ Researcher Online.”
WEB RESOURCES
- Librarians’ Internet Index (http://www.lii.org)
- Christian Science Monitor (http://www.csmonitor.com is an online newspaper with excellent national and international coverage.
- The Public Library of Law (http://www.plol.org) provides free access to selected U.S. legal materials. Check your handout for the username and password.
- The Multnomah County Library Homework Center Social Issues page (http://www.multcolib.org/homework/sochc.html) has a good set of links on a variety of issues. But be warned that not all links are active.
- FRONTLINE from PBS (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/) produces excellent television news documentaries on timely and controversial topics. Many of these programs are available on DVD or VHS through your local public library.
- The Internet Public Library Social Issues and Social Welfare Subject Guide (http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/soc80.00.00) provides links to online resources in a number of categories.
- ProCon.Org (http://www.procon.org) This site is dedicated to presenting issues in a non-partisan, pro/con format.
CREATING YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY
Use these two resources to help you correctly format your bibliography according to APA guidelines. Remember to collect your citation information as you do your research. It will save you from having to reconstruct your search later.
- Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01)
- Oregon School Library Information System (http://secondary.oslis.org)
LIVING WOMEN HEROES November 18, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Help with Assignments, Web Resources.add a comment
For students in Mrs. Martin’s English I class, here are the links from the hand-out you received during your visit to the library. Don’t forget to use your local public library for more resources — books, magazines, and their electronic databases.
Please stop by and see us in the library if you need help.
Library Catalogs
- Do a Subject search for your person: Last Name, First Name.
- Do a Keyword search for your person: “First Name Last Name” (try it with and without the quotation marks)
- Do a Subject search by profession: Women physicists, Women dancers, Women authors, Women blues musicians.
- Res Library catalog
- Chicago Public Library (http://www.chipublib.org) Use the Advanced Search link
- Niles Public Library (http://www.nileslibrary.org)
- Park Ridge Public Library (http://www.parkridgelibrary.org)
Res Library Subscription Databases
- Britannica Online (http://www.school.eb.com) This is an online encyclopedia for basic, introductory information. Start here!
- Reader’s Guide Full Text Select (http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/) Once you login, click on the checkbox next to “Reader’s Guide.” For this assignment, it makes sense to click the checkbox next to “Full Text” so you only retrieve articles that have the full text. Once you have searched and have a Results list, you can sort by “Date” to put the most recent articles first.
- EBSCO Science Reference Center (http://search.ebscohost.com) This is good for information on scientists, astronauts, doctors, etc. Once you login, click on “EBSCOhost Research Databases” to get to the Science Reference Center.
- Gale Literature Resource Center (http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/reshs) This is good for information on authors and poets. Look for articles under the “Biography” tab after you search for your person’s name.
- FACTS.com Issues & Controversies and Today’s Science (http://www.fofweb.com) These are 2 separate databases. Issues & Controversies is good for information on politicians and women active in social and political causes. Today’s Science is good for women working in science, technology, medicine, and health care.
Web Resources
Some of these sites are good places to look for ideas of a woman to research. Some of them will provide more in-depth information or links to other resources. Try to find the person’s official website for the most up-to-date information. No doubt you will find many other web resources. Just make sure you know who the author of the website is and their credentials — you must know if you can trust the information they are providing.
- Librarians’ Internet Index (http://www.lii.org)
- Internet Public Library — Biographies collection (http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ref15.00.00)
- Time 100 (http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1894410,00.html)
- Women Nobel Laureates (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/lists/women.html)
- Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership (http://www.guide2womenleaders.com)
- Women’s International Center Biography page (http://web.me.com/uromastyx.studio/WIC/wic2008biogreaphies.html)
- World’s Most Powerful Women — Forbes magazine (http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/18/worlds-most-powerful-women-forbes-woman-power-women-09-angela-merkel_land.html)
- Christian Science Monitor (http://www.csmonitor.com)
Citing Your Sources
Use your Writing Stylus to help you understand the MLA format. It is best to collect the information you need for your bibliography as you do your research rather than trying to go back and reconstruct your sources later.
An excellent resource to help you format your citations is the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01)
Use the Oregon School Library Information System website (http://old.oslis.org/docs/MLAcitexamprtnprt8-07.pdf) to see examples of citations in proper MLA format.
FIRSTSEARCH GUIDE SHEET November 12, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in General Research Help.add a comment
FirstSearch (http://firstsearch.oclc.org) is one of our subscription databases. It’s really a number of databases under one umbrella. Most of the databases are provided free of charge through the Illinois State Library. The databases cover a range of subject areas from the humanities to education to science and medicine. Some of the databases are full-text.
FirstSearch is an excellent resource and can be very helpful to you in many of your assignments. However, it’s not the easiest or most intuitive database to get into and use. Therefore, we’ve developed a guidesheet to help walk you through logging on, selecting databases, searching, and dealing with results.
Click on the link below for the guide sheet. It is also available from the library’s Online Databases webpage. If you need the Authorization number and password for FirstSearch, stop by the library and pick up a blue sheet. And if you need help using FirstSearch, just let us know. We’d be happy to sit down and work with you on it.
NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY November 4, 2009
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in New books in the Library, Reading Recommendations.add a comment
We’ve added some new books to the library’s collection in the last several weeks. Stop by and take a look at these and others.
April & Oliver; by Tess Callahan (find it on our shelves at FIC CAL)
The story of April and Oliver, two inseparable childhood friends whose existences again collide with the sudden death of April’s younger brother.
Tess Callahan’s website (http://tesscallahan.com)
Fire; by Kristin Cashore (find it on our shelves at FIC CAS)
In a kingdom called The Dells, Fire is the last human-shaped monster, with unimaginable beauty and the ability to control the minds of those around her. But even with these gifts, she cannot escape the strife that overcomes her world. This is a kind of prequel to Cashore’s Graceling.
Kristin Cashore’s blog and website (http://kristincashore.blogspot.com)
Catching Fire; by Suzanne Collins (find it on our shelves at FIC COL)
By winning the annual Hunger Games, District 12 tributes Katniss and Peeta have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families. But because they won by defying the rules, they unwittingly become the faces of an impending rebellion. This is a sequel to The Hunger Games.
Suzanne Collins’ website (http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com)
I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets : Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure : From Smith Magazine; edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith (find it on our shelves at 920 ICA)
Smith Magazine sought memoirs that could only be 6 words long and then chose some of the best for this collection. Creative and thought-provoking. How would you sum up your life in 6 words?
Smith Magazine ( http://www.smithteens.com)
The Plan of Chicago : Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City; by Carl S. Smith (find it on our shelves at 977.311 SMI)
This was the Chicago Public Library’s “One Book, One Chicago” pick for Fall 2009. Burnham’s plan proposed many of the city’s most distinctive features and it remains a living document that continues to inspire discussion and, well, plans!
Burnham Plan Centennial website (http://burnhamplan100.uchicago.edu)
Charles and Emma : The Darwins’ Leap of Faith; by Deborah Heiligman (find it on our shelves at 921 DAR)
Find out how the tension between the theory of evolution and the tenets of religion, a tension that remains to this day, played out in the marriage of Charles Darwin and his wife, Emma.
Deborah Heiligman’s website (http://www.deborahheiligman.com)
