Current Events & Controversial Issues
For Suggestions to Help You Choose Your Topic, Click Here.
* Indicates best sites for headline news events
Librarians' Index to the Internet - A collective of very selective, high-quality websites carefully chosen, described and organized by a team of librarians. Click on "Social Issues" to see the controversial topics.
Multnomah County Library- Provides links to web sites for students researching current social issues from multiple perspectives.
The Best Information On The Net- Maintained by O'Keefe Library at St. Ambrose University. A librarian's guide to the best information on the net with links to hot paper topics.
*Documents in the News- University of Michigan Documents Center identifies issues archived from 1995 to the present about government making news headlines and web sources with additional information.
Google Web Directory - Issues - Provides multiple links to sites dealing with issues and causes.
Yahoo – Society and Culture – Issues and Causes - Provides multiple links to sites dealing with issues and causes.
Public Agenda Online - A nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research and citizen education organization. This site is designed to help leaders better understand the public's point of view on major policy issues and help citizens better understand critical policy issues so they can make their own more informed and thoughtful decisions.
SpeakOut.Com - An excellent archive from 1996 to the present of non-partisan articles on a wide variety of topics showcasing leading research, with opinions and events shaping public policy on dozens of issues including education, technology and healthcare.
Yahoo - U.S. Government - Political Issues - Multiple links to U.S. Government and political issues.
The Internet Public Library - Links to web sites for studies of human society and of individual relationships in and to society.
*InternationalAffairs.Com - Created by Oxford Analytica, the political and economic news analysis organization which, for 24 years, has drawn on the expertise of professors in more than 100 countries to provide timely analysis to governments, businesses and others who need to know the implications of breaking news. InternationalAffairs.com has links to a wide variety of resources ranging from news wires and newspapers to economic think-tanks to strategic studies institutes to the official web pages of governments and international institutions like the World Bank, OECD, and the United Nations.
*Links to the News - Resources for researching current topics in the news. Excellent web site from the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. If it's a current news topic, they've likely pulled together a good list of links to it. Their collection of topics goes back to January, 1995.
*Yahoo – Top Stories of the Day - Gives full Coverage of the top stories of the day for the following categories: U.S., World, Sci/Tech, Business, Sports, and Entertainment.
Electronic Databases
Access these databases at http://www.dcccd.edu/Current+Students/Libraries/Research+a+Topic/Database.htm
For Books Use:
Library Catalog - Contains listing of books and materials in the DCCCD libraries - on the web at http://library.dcccd.edu/screens/opacmenu.html
netLibrary - Features a collection of public access eBooks.
For Encyclopedias Use:
(If the link takes you to the database page, click on the initial letter in the alphabetical list to locate the database by name.)
For Magazine, Journal, and Newspaper Articles Use:
(Follow the hyperlink to the database page. Then, click on the initial letter in the alphabetical list to locate the database by name.)
Academic Search Premier (1985 to date) - Includes scholarly journals that cover social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts and literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.
CQ Researcher (1991 to date) - Explores a single "hot" issue in the news in depth each week. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education and science and technology. There are 44 reports produced each year including four expanded reports.
Current Issues Reference Shelf Plus (Current) Presents carefully-selected full-text articles from key pub-lications on social, scientific, health, political, and global issues.
Dallas Morning News - (1984 to date) - Complete full-text content of local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community.
eLibrary (1994 to date) - Full text of articles from popular magazines and scholarly journals, newspapers and newswires, television and radio transcripts, photos and maps, and reference and historical sources.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online (Current) - A full-text reference site with articles from the Encyclopedia Britannica and with links to editorially reviewed websites.
Facts.com (1980 to date) - The Issues & Controversies tab will lead you to in-depth pro & con views on controversial topics. This database offers the depth of a 20-year news backfile and the timeliness of weekly updates (with hourly newswire feeds). Plus it provides seven interconnected core reference databases covering science, current events, key statistics, opinions on controversies, even this morning's news.
InfoTrac Newspapers (1984 to date) - Features full text (since 1990) for nearly 1,860 periodicals covering a broad range of topics.
New York Times (1999 to date) - National and international news events. Includes selected articles from 1899 thru 1998. Includes the New York Times Book Review and the New York Times Magazine.
Newspaper Source (1994 to date) - Contains 139 regional newspapers, 18 international newspapers, 6 newswire sources, plus full text (since 1995) of the Christian Science Monitor and the Los Angeles Times.
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (1983 to date) - Current event topics presenting the facts, the arguments, topic overviews, statistics, government data, legislation, relevant magazine and newspaper aarticles, reference book articles, and web sites, and more.
Readers' Guide Full Text (1994 to date) - Comprehensive indexing and abstracting of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and Canada, plus the full text of selected periodicals.
Reference Universe (Current) - Article titles and back-of-the-book indexes for over 6,500 subject encyclopedias. Note: Because this is an index only, ask the reference librarian for help in locating the articles.
SIRS Knowledge Source (1989 to date) - A database of thousands of full-text, indexed articles on a wide variety of science, social science and world affairs topics.
*Indicates that the item is located in the Richland Library's Current Issues Collection in the center of the reference collection.
† Indicates that the item contains pro & con arguments.
§ Indicates that the item is also available in electronic database format. Follow the hyperlink to the database page. Then, click on the initial letter in the alphabetical list to locate the database by name.
*Annual Editions - Reprints of significant recent articles. Topics covered include drugs, society and behavior, economics, environment, marriage and the family, social problems, and state and local issues.
*†§At Issue - Covers recent issues like Internet, the jury system, welfare reform, etc. Also available in the Opposing Viewpoints database.
*†§Congressional Digest - Non-partisan, authoritative political articles presenting both sides of important public policy controversies. Index in the Current Issues Collection; back issues at the Periodicals Desk. Also available online (library computers only) through Richland Library's subscription.
*Contemporary World Issues - Fact-filled resources designed to serve as both one-stop information sources and guides to in-depth exploration. Each includes: introduction, overview, facts, documents, chronology, biographical sketches, directory, and selected lists of print and nonprint materials.
*†§CQ Researcher - Thorough and authoritative reports that are about 6000 words in length covering newsworthy subjects and issues. Each article covers the background, current situation, chronology, future outlook for the topic, and bibliography. Also available in the CQ Researcher database.
CQ Weekly Report - Weekly summary of U.S. congressional and governmental activities, includes special reports on important issues. Ask at periodicals Desk for the articles.
*†§Current Controversies - Presents opposing opinions, background information and documents on various controversial issues like sexual harassment, gun control, AIDS, drug trafficking, women in the military, etc. Also available in the Opposing Viewpoints database.
*A Documentary History - Primary documents on a historical event or contemporary issue, including speeches and letters, congressional testimony, Supreme and lower court decisions, government reports, biographical accounts, position papers, statues, and news stories.
*†Editorials on File - Selection of about 175 significant editorials in each biweekly issue reprinted from U.S. and Canadian newspapers.
*§Facts on File - Weekly digest of world news and events. Also available in the Facts.com database.
*Global Studies - Concise information and current world press articles on the geographic, cultural, economic, political, historical, artistic, and religious dimensions of Africa, China, Latin America, Japan, India, South Asia, western Europe, eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union.
*Hot Issues - Easy to read books about a variety of controversial topics. Issues include overviews, backgrounds, causes and effects, outlooks and possible solutions.
*†Ideas in Conflict. - Similar to the popular Opposing Viewpoints Series by a different publisher.
*§Information Plus: Information Series on Current topics - Excellent summaries of the facts and statistics on the topics covered. Topics include gun control, capital punishment, education, crime, domestic violence, abortion, women, homeless, etc. Older copies available for checkout in the Main Collection. Also available in the Opposing Viewpoints database.
*Issues & Controversies on File -Excellent, ongoing series similar to the CQ Researcher. Index in the Current Issues Collection. Articles at the Periodicals Desk.
*Issues for Debate in American Public Policy - Drawn from the CQ Researcher and offers in-depth, objective and forward-looking reporting on a specific topic with a chronicle and analysis of past legislative and judicial action, as well as current and possible future political maneuvering.
*Library in a Book - Each volume includes history and background, biography, annotated bibliography, and index for the issue covered (abortion, capital punishment, AIDS, etc.).
*Life Issues - Easy to read books on problems that often plague individuals in our society. Topics include drug abuse, AIDS, alcoholism, etc.
*†§Opposing Viewpoints Series - Reprints of articles from newspapers, magazines, reports, etc. Each volume covers a major social issue. Some titles are duplicated in the Main Collection for checkout. Also available in the Opposing Viewpoints database.
†§Opposing Viewpoints Pamphlets - Over 400 pamphlets, each of which contains reprints of opinions on a controversial issue in education, crime, religion, genetic engineering, bioethics, politics, economics, sociology, environment, or health. Request at the Periodicals Desk. Also available in the Opposing Viewpoints database.
†Pro & Con - Brief statements of the pro and con position on several controversial issues like gun control, creationism, nuclear freeze, etc. Ref. HN17.5.172.
Public Issues Handbook - Information on 24 issues of concern including aging, capital punishment, housing, unemployment, etc. Circulating copy in Main Collection at HC106.8.R67 1983.
*§SIRS (Social Issues Resources Series) - Reprints of outstanding articles on current event topics. Articles are organized by major topics and kept in large gray notebooks. Also available in the SIRS Knowledge Source database.
*†Taking Sides - Sharply opposed essays with background introduction and summary for each area covered; covers economic, social, educational, political issues, etc.
§ Vital Speeches of the Day - Text of speeches given by notable persons on subjects of current interest and controversy. Print copies are located at the Periodicals Desk. Also available in the Readers' Guide database.