Social+Issues

Librarian:Mrs. Lynn Makler
===Librarian's e-mail:lmakler@schools.nyc.gov

===

Introduction:
What are social issues? Social issues are problems, concerns or topics that we as a society face. Issues may be local, national, or global.

What kinds of issues are there? Social issues can fall into any category or subject area. They range from genetic engineering to euthanasia, and can extend to internet safety or terrorism. Diverse opinions among individuals and the impact on individuals within a society are two common threads that social issues share.

What is important in a social issues collection? It is important for a library to have a broad range of topics. Multi-perspective information should be available; information should cover the past, present and into the future.

Questions for Inquiry:
1. What are different issues that society faces today?

2. What are different views on societal issues today?

3. How have the societal views on individual issues changed through the years?

4. How do societal issues differ globally?

Keywords:
"Social Issues" //Each individual issue would require a different keyword search. Examples include, but are not limited to...// "genetic engineering" or cloning euthanasia terrorism "music piracy"

//Facts on File "Global Issues" Series// Goldstein, Natalie. __Global Warming__. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2009. Call Number: 363.738 Kelly, Regina Anne. __Energy Supply and Renewable Resources__. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2007. Call Number: 333.79 Robertson, Ann E. __Terrorism and Global Security__. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2007. Call Number: 363.325 Youngerman, Barry. __Pandemics and Global Health__. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2008. Call Number: 614.4
 * Some Current Issues**

//Greenhaven Press "At Issues" Series// O'Connor, Rebecca K., ed. __How Should the World Respond to Natural Disasters?__ New York: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Call Number: 363.34


 * Dewey Decimal Classification(s):**
 * Topics can occur anywhere within the Dewey Decimal System**

Key Books
Any books from the "Opposing Viewpoints" Series //sample citation from the series// Dudley, William, ed. __Biological Warfare: Opposing Viewpoints__. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004.

Any books from the "Taking Sides" Series //sample citation from the series// Hart, James E. and Mark Owen Lombardi. __Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Global Issues__. Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill / Dushkin, 2005

Any books from the "At Issue" Series Any books from the "Current Controversies" Series Any books from the "Issues in Focus" Series

Databases:
The NOVEL databases (Ebsco and Infotrac), which are available to all school libraries, can retrieve information on social issues. These databases can be found at the following addresses, but require passwords for information retrieval Ebsco -- http://search.ebscohost.com/Login.aspx?lp=login.asp&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fschools%2Enyc%2Egov%2FOffices%2FTeachLearn%2FOfficeCurriculumProfessionalDevelopment%2FSchoolLibrarySystem%2FDatabases%2Fdefault%2Ehtm&authtype=ip,uid

Infotrac -- http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/nysl_me

Social Issues Resource Series is part of the ProQuest database package. Although we do not have a subscription to SIRS it is a wonderful resource for both current and historical social issues. For more information see the link below. http://www.proquestk12.com/productinfo/sirs_knowledgesource.shtml
 * SIRS --

Port Richmond High School Catalog -- Search our collection for information within the special collection. The collection has the call number prefix "SC". Click on "catalog" to search. http://library.nycenet.edu/common/welcome.jsp?site=1520

Curriculum Standards Related to This Topic:
English Standards E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials. E3d: Make informed judgements about TV, radio and film.

Science S4: Scientific Connections and Applications

Social Studies Standards Standard 1: History of the United States and New York -- Students will use a variety of intelletual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York:

Standard 2: World History -- Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 3: Geography -- Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live -- local, national, and global -- including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth's surface.