Re: [LM_NET] SEC: SIRS or Opposing Viewpoints?

[msirwin <msirwin@OPTONLINE.NET>]

If you can afford them both do it! I have always loved SIRS because of its 
added value over a regular magazine database. The articles all have 
summaries written at the same level of sophistication as the article 
themselves, which is a huge help as kids try to evaluate relevance  for 
their needs. They also choose only substantive articles, so you don't end up 
with a list of thins that turn our to be only a few sentences long. I prefer 
SIRS when I'm teaching Boolean searching. They also provide in a sseparate 
spot all the info needed for
Works Cited pages, alstho they don't format it for you. I'm old-fashioned,: 
ithink the kids should learn to format it correctly themselves. Whatever we 
teach them in middle school will probably not be the same in HS, or in 
colleges anyway.

As for Opposing Viewpoimts, there can't be an easier way to find a lot of 
good articles with various points of  view on controversial issues. You can 
search by topic, or browse their list. And when you find stuff all you have 
to do is decide on relevance and be wary of bias. Let's face it--there are 
few articles on controversial issues don't have bias. The students just have 
to learn to identify it.

Maureen S. Irwin
Library Director
Rye Country Day School
Rye, NY 10580
msirwin@optonline.net 

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