Have you ever been forced to take a position on a (probably controversial) topic?  Have you ever been asked to write a paper in favor of something?  Or opposed to something else?  Well, let’s say you have.  And let’s say you didn’t really have all of the background information to take a stand, or really didn’t have an opinion one way or another.  We here at the library have got you covered.  We have several resources that offer a pro/con position on a wide variety of social issues and controversial topics.

Issues & Controversies offers in-depth investigations of today’s top issues.   Each article states the issue and gives a statement for or against it.  Then the article goes into detail supporting those positions.  This resource also offers editorial cartoons.  If you search on a topic (instead of choosing from their list of issues) you’ll get a tab that offers editorial cartoons.  I looked through ’em.  Meh.  I guess I was expecting more edge, but I thought the ones they chose were kinda doughy.  However, if you’re looking for pro/con info… Issues & Controversies sums it up pretty well.

Points of View does pretty much the same thing as Issues & Controversies.   Each topic is treated with an overview, point and  counterpoint.  However,  it doesn’t do the whole point/counterpoint as well as Jane Curtain and Dan Ackroyd did. In addition to offering summaries, periodicals, newspapers,  and books, PoV has news transcripts (but only NPR and CBS), primary source documents (which is mostly congressional transcripts), and images.

Opposing Viewpoints offers a ton of content on controversial topics.  Like the others, the content here is divided by type of resource.  There are viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.  It, too, has NPR transcripts, but these include audio files as well.

After doing the legwork and getting all the facts, I’m going to publicly state that I am pro library resources that focus on pro/con issues.  I know it’s a highly controversial position and that it could start a flame war, but I’m taking this position and I’m steadfast in my resolution.