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The FIT
Library has a good collection of books on
controversial issues. To get started, you can
consult a general encyclopedia or a subject specific
encyclopedia on issues, for example: Current
Issues (4 volumes, Reference Stacks HN59.2 .C87
2003) or Encyclopedia of Aging (4 volumes,
Reference Stacks HQ1061 .E534 2002).
To find a specialized subject encyclopedia on
your topic, search
StyleCat
 , our online catalog. Using keyword
search in StyleCat, type a subject term or phrase
and the subheading “encyclopedias”. For example, try
“animal rights encyclopedias”.
For more
books, try the subject term or phrase alone.
Remember to try alternative and related terms for
your topic: for example, try "death penalty" as well
as "capital punishment." Ask a Reference Librarian for additional help.
The Library collection includes several series of
books which consist of individual volumes, each
devoted to a timely controversial issue. Depending
on the series, these books contain background
information, pro and con arguments, documents, facts
and statistics, legal information, comprehensive
bibliographies and more. The books do not advocate a
particular point of view on an issue but rather
encourage the reader to formulate his or her own
educated opinion. Some series titles are:
 At
Issue
Contemporary Education
Issues,
Contemporary Legal Issues
Contemporary
World Issues
Current Controversies
Library in a Book
Opposing Viewpoints
Opposing Viewpoints Sources
Primary documents in American history and
contemporary issues
Reference Shelf
To find the list of books that we have in each of
these series, search
StyleCat
. Using Basic Search, type the
series title and then select Series name begins
with in the
Search type box.
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magazine / journal /
newspaper articles and online reference books |
Try the following
Digital Library databases
(FIT username
& password required) to find articles in magazines,
journals, and newspapers as well as in online
reference books. Articles can be more specific and
current than books. Many databases provide the
full text of the articles online.
Use
the same terms or phrases that you used in searching
StyleCat
, but when looking for
articles, you can often be even more specific.
Try
different, broader, or narrower words and
phrases for your topic , e.g. "automobiles" instead
of "cars"; "drug abuse" (a broader term) vs.
"cocaine abuse" (a narrower term).
Remember, if a
database does not work for you, try a different one.
Two specific databases are useful for
searching for controversial issues information:
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
Points of View
Reference Center
The following databases are also useful:
Academic Search Complete
Custom Newspapers
(includes recent full text articles
from the New York Times)
Gale Virtual Reference Library
General OneFile
MasterFILE Premier
National Newspaper Index / NNI
New York State Newspapers
ProQuest Platinum: Periodicals
For subject specific databases and other
suggestions, see the list on the
Digital Library or
speak to a Reference librarian.
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