Social Issues

This guide lists sources of information for social issues and current events. It is not inclusive, but is meant to provide a starting place when you are looking for information. For additional information, please talk with a librarian.

Locating Books

Use Minerva, the library's online catalog, to search for books owned by the library. To search Minerva, click on Finding Books and then "Access Minerva Now". Search by the topic you are interested in, such as privacy, global warming, human genome project, eating disorders, capital punishment, freedom of the press

Locating Journal Articles

Click on Finding Articles. Scroll down and click on the Go to Online Resources and Journal Indexes Now link. To find articles in journals, choose an index or resource from the alphabetical list. Or, click on one of the subject areas to see only the indexes and resources appropriate for that subject. A few of the appropriate resources for social issue topics are listed below. You have to check our List of Journal Subscriptions to see if Sawyer Library owns the journal an article is in. The list may be accessed from the Finding Articles page. Printed copies are also available.

Academic Search Premier
An index to over 3,000 journals in the fields of social sciences, humanities, general science, education, multi-cultural studies, and others. It includes the full-text of many articles, and searches may be limited to peer reviewed articles.

MasterFILE Premier
An index of articles from over 1,700 periodicals covering nearly all subjects including current events, business, and more. It includes the full text of many articles.

ProQuest Newspapers
A full text index of more than 500 U.S. and international news sources. It includes The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and the Times of London, plus hundreds of other news sources and news wires. Years of coverage vary by title. Maine papers included: Bangor Daily News (1992+), Portland Press Herald (1995+), and selected business coverage from Maine Times (1994-2002) and Central Maine Morning Sentinel (1993-1997).

FirstSearch
A service which provides access to approximately 40 bibliographic and full text databases. Searches may be limited to articles found only in journals owned by the Husson library. It includes the following indexes that are most appropriate for social issues and current events:

Article1st
An index to articles from over 12,000 journals from 1990 to the present. It covers the fields of popular culture, social sciences, business, humanities, technology, science, and medicine.

FactSearch
An index to facts and statistics on topics of current interest. Includes hyperlinks to full text Web documents.

NewsAbs
An index to more than 50 United States national and regional newspapers. Includes reviews and editorials.

PerAbs
Periodical Abstracts indexes more than 2,000 journals. It includes records for transcripts of significant segments of more than 80 news- and lifestyle-oriented television and radio programs.

Some of the journals and newspapers owned by Husson's Library that cover current events include:

Atlantic Monthly

Congressional Digest

Ms. (Magazine)

National Review

New Republic

New York Times

Newsweek

Rolling Stone

Time

USA Today (Journal)

Utne Reader

Weekly Standard

Other Resources

Opposing Viewpoints [H 39 O6]
Pamphlet length summations of current issues.

Reference Shelf [Throughout collection ]
Each title contains reprints of journal articles focusing on one theme. To find the titles, do a title search for 'reference shelf.'

Vertical file.
The library maintains a collection of pamphlets on a variety of subjects. They are housed in filing cabinets, and may be checked out.

World Wide Web Sites

Fast Facts [ http://www.freepint.com/gary/handbook.htm]

Fedstats [ http://www.fedstats.gov/]
A subject guide to Web sites of more than 70 statistics-producing agencies of the US government.

NewsCenter [ http://www.freepint.com/gary/newscenter.htm]
A list of links to various news sites on the Web.

NewsDirectory.com [ http://www.ecola.com/]
Provides links to English-language media online, including newspapers, magazines, TV stations, news tickers, trade associations, and airports around the world.

*You may find useful, authoritative web sites by using some of the databases mentioned under FirstSearch.