Pro/Con Resources

Frederic MurrayAssistant Professor MLIS, University of British ColumbiaBA, Political Science, University of Iowa

Instructional Services LibrarianAl Harris Library frederic.murray@swosu.edu

Information Literacy • Search Strategies

– Keywords/Boolean AND/OR/NOT

• Organization of Information– Catalogs Al Harris/WorldCat/Ebrary– Databases i.e. Ebsco Products– Popular vs. Scholarly resources– Periodical Lists – Citation Searching

Information Literacy• Critical Evaluation

– Authority, Accuracy, Objectivity, Currency

– Google: Site Specific Search edu/gov

• Subject Specific Resources– Match Subject to Database

Pew Research Center

Where Do You Fit ?

Different ways to look at:Pro vs. Con• Objective vs. Biased• Balanced vs. Unbalanced • Two-sided vs. One-sided• Indifferent vs. Persuasive• Good vs. Bad• Benefits vs. Drawbacks

Pro/Con

TOPIC

JSTOR Google • Who wrote the information in your

source?• Where did the author of your

source get their information?• What makes the author of your

source an expert?• Why should we respect the

opinions or findings of your article/web page?

Where do I start?– TOPICsearch -database– Pro/Con Resources - books

• Contemporary Issues• Opposing Viewpoints• Reference Shelf• Taking Sides

– Pro/Con Resources - databases• CQ Researcher

– Author • Issues and Controversies

– Keywords

Helpful Keywords to Use• Issue• Controve

rsy • Statistic• Ethical• Rights• Debate• Attitude• Trend• Conditio

n

Examples:• Rights and poverty• death penalty and Controversy

• household spending and Statistics

TOPICsearch• An Ebsco product• Use Limiters to Narrow

Search

• Example: Environment– Current Events– Full Text– Topics– Document Type

Pro/Con Resources• Book Series

– Contemporary Issues– Opposing Viewpoints– Reference Shelf– Taking Sides

Pro/Con Resources• CQ Researcher

– contains information on current and controversial issues concentric to the U.S. Government

• Issues and Controversies– provides up-to-date, objective

information on the most prominent and hotly debated issues of the day

Opinion or Fact?• Whales are mammals.• Whales are superior to dolphins.• Stephen King is talented.• Stephen King is a prolific writer.• Bottled water is cleaner than tap

water. • To meet American demand of

bottled water, requires 1.5 million barrels of oil annually.

Which sounds better?• Oil over $100 is cause for

concern.

• Harvard economists believe oil over $100 is cause for concern.

– A COLLECTIVE OPINION IS STRONGER THAN A SINGLE OPINION

Opinion Resources• Editorials on File

– Ref 070.43 Ed48• Gallup Poll

– Ref 301.154 G13g– http://www.gallup.com– an organization studying human nature

and behavior for more than 70 years through public surveys

– collects attitudes and opinions of individuals and key groups within the American population concerning national and international issues and events

Online Surveys & Reports• Pew Research Center (Main Site)

– http://pewresearch.org• Pew Global Attitudes Project

– http://pewglobal.org• Pew Internet & American Life Project

– http://www.pewinternet.org• Pew Hispanic Center

– http://pewhispanic.org• Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

– http://pewforum.org

Which sounds better?• A lot of freshman drop out of

SWOSU each academic year.

• 40% of freshman drop out of SWOSU each academic year.– NUMBERS CARRY WEIGHT,

PEOPLE ARE INFLUENCED BY STATISTICS

Statistical Resources– American Attitudes

• 303.38 M6958a 2000– Americans at Play

• 790.068 W462a– Education Statistics of the United States

• 370.9021 Ed836– Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics

• 364.973 B9524 2003– Statistical Handbook on the American Family

• 301.421 St295 1999– World Almanac

• 317.3 W89

Statistical Resources• Google Site Search:

i.e. Wind Power statistics Oklahoma site:gov

• Al Harris Library: Government Information– Provides statistical information directly

from the U.S. Government and the agencies who collect the data.

http://www.swosu.edu/library/infoservices/govdocs/gov.htm

Opinions vs. Facts• Pros (Strengths)

– A consensus of opinions are much stronger than a single opinion

– Reflects the culture and society that experience these issues and events (primary resource)

• Cons (Weaknesses)– Less concrete– A view formed by

someone’s belief which can be biased

– Not necessarily the truth

– Opinions can differ widely

• Pros (Strengths)– Very concrete– Based in

scientific/research methodology

– Data supports arguments

– Statistics helps determine the accuracy of information in the evaluation process

• Cons (Weaknesses)– Data can be

manipulated– Unless data collection

is a regular practice, data can become outdated and irrelevant

World Wide Web: Resources• CNN Special Reports• http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/• Includes facts, statistics, interviews of supporters and

opponents, and much more on key issues. The site maintains an archive going back to 1995.

• National Center for Policy Analysis• http://www.ncpa.org• NCPA is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy research

organization whose goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector.

• SpeakOut.com• http://speakout.com/index.html• Provides issues arranged by topic categories. The site is

devoted to promoting activism in a variety of areas.

Argumentative Information• Use information to support your

position– Pro/Con Materials– Opinion Polls– Statistics

Exercise: Argumentative Resources Worksheet

Topic: Oklahoma HB 1083 & SB 1101 Amends existing law to allow concealed handgun permit holders to carry concealed handguns on college or university property.

Question: Should this law be passed?

Finish the Worksheet:• Identify three sources of

information in support of your defense.– A.

– B.

– C.

Ready to Argue

Information Literacy • Search Strategies

– Keywords/Boolean AND/OR/NOT

• Organization of Information– Catalogs Al Harris/WorldCat– Databases i.e. Ebsco Products– Popular vs. Scholarly resources– Periodical Lists – Citation Searching

Information Literacy• Critical Evaluation

– Authority, Accuracy, Objectivity, Currency

– Google: Site Specific Search edu/gov

• Subject Specific Resources– Target what you seek

Questions?

• Contact me:– Frederic Murray

• 774-7113• frederic.murray@swosu.edu

Thanks!