Controversies is a robust reference tool created by Infobase, a respected and well-established leader in supplemental educational materials. It is a database of articles written by professional writers. Each article delivers a pro or con position of the issues important to our society. This year, the database was chosen to receive the Modern Library Award or MLA by LibraryWorks, an organization dedicated to providing librarians with resources to conduct best practices. Its employees choose products yearly and give awards based on input from an extensive survey of 80,000 participants from libraries all around the nation.
LibraryWorks awarded its GoldAward to Issues & Controversies this year. The winners are Andrew Gyory, editor-in-chief; Crystal Galyean, senior editor; Saanya Khanna, associate editor; and Andrew Frolich, associate editor. The editor-in-chief was willing to share his thoughts about winning the MLA Gold Award.
"I was delighted that our database was chosen as an MLA Gold Award Winner. This award recognises our strong commitment to producing the best current affairs database on the market," said the professor of Philosophy and U.S. History, Andrew Gyory.
Articles are written to spark debate and expand knowledge of issues like immigration, gun control, and health care. Each article is supported by other materials. These materials include films and videos of speeches and debates which include full searchable transcripts.
There are three types of videos in the database all of which are produced by recognizable leaders in the news industry: Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates, Bloomberg Quick takes, and Infobase Overview. Intelligence Squared is a non-partisan organization that conducts public Oxford-style debates featuring academics, experts, and thought leaders debating issues that affect the nation's population.
Their U.S. Debates are hosted by John Donvan, an ABC News Correspondent who has won four Emmy Awards for his work. Bloomberg Quicktakes are short videos of issues that spark debate. It is an organization of 2,700 journalists in 120 countries. They all produce news segments based on events happening worldwide. Infobase Overview provides introductory videos to the issues and is commissioned and produced by Infobase.
Issues & Controversies is easy to use. It has two search methods: a search bar and a browse feature. The search bar allows the researcher to input a term and allow the database to search while the browse feature lists terms like birth control, capital punishment, and abortion. After the researcher has chosen a topic, the database shows options: articles, court cases, infographics, media, and more. The articles, as mentioned, each give a pro or con opinion of the issue. Then, the researcher can choose to delve deeper.
Options include collections of court cases where the U.S. Supreme Court or other courts have argued the issue to support either side, media that includes speeches and testimony from experts to clarify the issue, a collection of editorials from major newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times explaining the problems and even a news feed updated daily containing articles written about the controversy chosen for analysis. It's available worldwide for a subscription fee.
According to the marketing director, Zina Scarpulla, the videos available within the database are chosen from select vendors, but filmmakers can still approach the company with their ideas for consideration. "[W]e do have a very active Acquisitions team devoted to streaming video who are always looking for new content and producers for our portfolio of streaming video products, which serve all markets and levels: Films On Demand (for higher education), Learn360 and Classroom Video On Demand (for K–12 Schools and Districts), and Access Video On Demand and Just for Kids(for public libraries). Filmmakers can reach out to Anne Feldkamp for consideration atafeldkamp@infobase.com, she said.