Database Spotlight:

Issues & Controversies from FACTS.com


This database is available to all students and faculty from the Rio Hondo College Library homepage. To access the database if you are on-campus, simply click on the link for the database under Articles - on the far left side of the page. If you are at home, click on the Off-Campus Access link - also on the left side of the page. You may need to scroll down to see it. (You will need to input your Student ID and password before given access.)

So, now that you're in the database - let's have a look around. There is a "search" box on the left of the page that allows fine-grained searches to be run, but we recommend that you just click on the links under Quick Access - on the right side of the page. You can get an alphabetical list of the titles of all the topics included in the database by selecting "Access All Topics" or you can select "Issues: Pro & Con". The Subject Index allows you to pick topics from a list of broad categories. You can also click on the Need a Research Topic? box at the top of the screen for a thematic approach to the topics.

Some of the Pro & Con issues are a bit dated, and many are enduring favorites such as the stem-cell research topic, the death penalty topic, the television violence topic, and so on...but there are also new topics that are currently in the news - such as Trans Fat Bans, Presidential Primaries, and less well-trodden topics like "Video Surveillance Cameras". What do you find when you click on this particular topic?

• The research question: does the expansion of video surveillance help prevent criminal and terrorist acts? Or does it infringe on civil liberties in an unacceptable way? This is followed by a couple of pro and con position statements.
  
• A background and overview piece
• Discussion questions and activities
• A bibliography
• Suggestions for additional resources
• Contact information for organizations mentioned in the piece
• Key word and points - valuable for further research in a library catalog.

In addition, there are Sidebars that provide additional short facts and figures, Related articles that take you to other Issues in the database, Key News Events, and Overviews. Tools for Students includes value-added features such as Analyzing, Understanding and Presenting your Research, as well as topical timelines, newspaper editorials, and debate topics.

This database will be useful for students needing introductory resources on controversial topics, general overviews to current events topics, and a "scaffolded" approach to research.