Stirring up controversy on the World Wide Web

Whether you are a student trying to select a timely topic to research or a dinner-table debater who wants to marshal your best arguments as you discuss the pros and cons of any number of controversial issues, the University Libraries subscribe to several products valuable to you.

For example, the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/ugl/e-resources/viewpoints.html presents salient arguments on both sides of a number of contentious topics, such as animal experimentation, capital punishment, euthanasia, gambling, gun control, health care reform, teenage pregnancy and terrorism. Select the topic "narcotic control" and discover links to "viewpoint essays" such as "The Arguments for Drug Legalization are Flawed" and "Drug Use Should be an Individual Choice." For each topic, in addition to the "viewpoint essays," there are links to "reference documents," "statistics," "images" "primary documents," "Web sites" and more.

Another University Libraries' Web-based product that provides information on major controversial issues is CQ Electronic Library http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/ugl/e-resources/cq.html. Select the "CQ Researcher" link and you'll find a series of weekly topical reports, such as "Corporate Crime," "Nursing Shortage" and "Prospects for Middle East Peace." Each report—they go back to 1991—includes categories with the following headings: overview, background, current situation, outlook, special focus, chronology, bibliography, etc. Of particular interest is the "pro/con" section, where opposing viewpoints are presented addressing a number of questions: Would increasing foreign aid reduce terrorism against the United States? Is post-traumatic stress disorder an "invented" disease? Is grade inflation a problem in colleges and universities? Should federal regulations make it easier to establish single-sex schools and classes? Should businesses be required to do more to accommodate religious practices in the workplace?

Facts.com http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/e-resources/facts.html is a University Libraries' product that contains an "Issues/Controversies" channel with an interesting array of subjects, such as "Human Cloning," "Native American Sports Mascots," "Slavery Reparations," "Televised Executions" and "Whaling." Each topic is followed by a succinct description of its controversial elements. For example, the "School Vouchers" link reads:

"Do school vouchers: Allow more children from poorer families to get a better education? Worsen the quality of public school education by channeling much-needed funds to private schools?"

Other societal issues worth discussion are highlighted on the University Libraries' guide Policy Sites on the Web http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/Collections/docs/policy.html. Entries worth noting include the Almanac of Policy Issues http://www.policyalmanac.org and Nationalissues.com http://nationalissues.com/, with "pros and cons" on topics such as "Abortion," "Affirmative Action," "Campaign Finance Reform," "Minimum Wage" and many more.

—Gemma DeVinney, University Libraries