If you have students who are going to be working on a pro-con paper on current events, the SIRS Researcher database available through WCCLS is a great place to start research. The database even-handedly highlights arguments with pro and con articles from both sides of the aisle. Students can read an aggregate of recent news articles from a variety of major sources, and many have interactive portions, including videos and pictures. At the top of each set of results are the "At Issue" Topic Overview articles that provide a neat summary.
Once in an article, the results can be narrowed down to show op-ed pieces, magazine articles, newspaper articles, etc. with a convenient window. SIRS also presents featured articles for both sides of debates at the top.
SIRS Researcher is 100 percent free to use from home or school with a Washington County library card number! Articles can be printed or e-mailed, and citations are readily available.
WCCLS Online Resources
