Internet Reviews

Joni R. Roberts and Carol Drost

Joni R. Roberts is associate university librarian for public services and collection development at Willamette University, email: jroberts@willamette.edu, and Carol A. Drost is associate university librarian for technical services at Willamette University, email: cdrost@willamette.edu.

Mapping American Social Movements Project. Access: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/index.shtml.

The Mapping American Social Movements Project (MASMP) is a freely accessible data project designed to emphasize the geographical element of radical and leftist social movements in the United States since the nineteenth century and related patterns of political influence and endurance. Included at this time are more than 120 organizations portrayed in maps, charts, and data tables drawn from locations where membership, activities, or other measures of support were concentrated. This portal seeks to query the ways that individual organizations do and do not coalesce at particular times and places to form larger movements and entities. It is largely organized according to themed tabs, which include “Socialist/Communist,” “Black Freedom,” “Latinx,” “Labor,” “Women,” “60s–70s,” etc. MASMP, which also includes contextual essays, allows a distillation of knowledge and perspective about collective actions across time and space. While permitting some ability to choose separate data facets, MASMP does not appear to allow users to compare different organizations and movements on the same maps and timelines.

MASMP shows some promise as a teaching facilitator and demonstrates sensitivity to the conceptual biases and advantages of data sources including general newspapers of record as well as regionally or organizationally specific newspapers and documents. The project might serve as a point of departure to college or advanced research projects and teaching modules. The longer-term hosting and sustainable functionality of MASMP may be unpredictable, as the initiative depends on the ongoing sponsorship and maintenance labor of a single faculty member at the University of Washington and on (currently) freely accessible and dynamic external infrastructure such as Google and Tableau Public. There is already some degree of link rot, and many elements are inconsistent with prevailing accessibility standards. Documentation of sources for data tables, while present, could be more fleshed out, visible, and consistent.

While MASMP’s focus on the political left is quite understandable for programmatic and logistical reasons, it raises the question of how a geographical lens might be applied to a wider variety of social movements and organizations and indeed those on the right with whom they were in dialogue or conflict.—Joshua Lupkin, Harvard University, joshua_lupkin@harvard.edu

Respectful Conversation. Access: https://respectfulconversation.charlotte.edu/.

In an era of deepening societal divides, Respectful Conversation stands out as a vital new resource for fostering healthier dialogue. Created by librarians Anne Cooper Moore and Catherine Tingelstad from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (which hosts the site), this project curates a high-quality collection of teaching and learning resources designed to promote respectful discourse. Supported by the ALA’s Carnegie-Whitney Grant, which funds the creation of resource guides and webliographies, the project reflects a thoughtful effort to address the challenge of polarization by fostering constructive dialogue through curated educational resources.

In a presentation about their work, the authors emphasize the urgency of equipping individuals with skills to bridge divides, citing studies that highlight students’ eagerness to develop constructive dialogue skills. They point out that free expression, protected by the First Amendment, serves as the foundation for open dialogue and the free exchange of ideas. Media literacy and critical thinking, they note, are also essential components in fostering constructive dialogue and meaningful engagement.

The site is organized into four key topics: “Free Expression,” “Media Literacy,” “Constructive Dialogue,” and “Critical Thinking.” (The “Critical Thinking” section is a recent addition that is still in development as of this writing.) Each topic is structured into sections, including definitions, videos, books, articles, teaching and learning resources, blogs, news feeds, podcasts, online classes, and organizations. The “Media Literacy” section also offers additional resources, such as infographics, fact-checking tools, and online games for identifying misinformation.

The resources listed are extensive yet carefully selected for quality and accessibility. The videos in particular are limited to only a few brief, high-quality introductory videos from authoritative sources. Apart from physical books, which can be found in public libraries, all materials—including scholarly journal articles and some open access books—are freely available online. The inclusion of diverse formats, such as videos, podcasts, and interactive tools, ensures that the site appeals to a wide range of learning preferences.

This site will be particularly useful to educators seeking innovative ways to engage their students with the topics of free expression, media literacy, constructive dialogue, and critical thinking. Beyond the classroom, it offers a wealth of resources for librarians, parents, community leaders, and anyone else striving to develop these skills and contribute to more empathetic, respectful, and informed societal conversations.—Katie Maxfield, Wittenberg University, maxfieldk@wittenberg.edu

Trust for America’s Health. Access: https://www.tfah.org/.

Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is a nonprofit organization that produces reports and other resources “to advance an evidence-based public health system that is ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century.” TFAH’s nonpartisan resources provide information on public health issues for an audience of state and federal policy makers.

The TFAH homepage highlights the organization’s mission, priority issues, news, and new resources such as their report from October 2024, “Pathway to a Healthier America: A Blueprint for Strengthening Public Health for the Next Administration and Congress.” The website is organized by tabs, including reports, policy and advocacy resources, webinars and briefings, state data, initiatives, news, and information about the TFAH.

Of the tabs, the “Policy/Advocacy” tab is the most robust. This section collects TFAH resources on their priority issues, with a national scope. For example, the page “Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health” introduces the topic, links to TFAH reports on the topic, links to relevant press releases and news for additional context, and provides access to downloadable documents for advocacy and action. The advocacy documents differ by topic but generally include a fact sheet or policy brief, funding recommendations, and comments or letters to policy makers and signed by TFAH. These documents are short and provide clear summaries of key talking points.

The state data section of the website includes a statement on key public health issues in each state, presents visually compelling statistics and charts to support each state’s statement, and links to additional resources when available. However, the sources of the statistics and charts are not cited throughout this section. Here, TFAH misses an opportunity to provide a strong advocacy resource for states either by citing their own reports or to the external sources of the statistics and charts.

Despite the shortcomings of the state data, TFAH is an excellent resource for understanding national public health issues, policies, and legislation. Overall, TFAH’s website is user-friendly, informative, nonpartisan, and is recommended for political science and public health audiences.—Emily Hamstra, Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 5, ehamstra@uw.edu