Internet Reviews

Dawn Behrend

Dawn Behrend is associate librarian and dean of university libraries at Lenoir-Rhyne University, email: dawn.behrend@lr.edu

American Sociological Association. Access: https://asanet.org.

Academic librarians will find the American Sociological Association’s (ASA) home page a wonderful resource for introducing undergraduate students to the discipline of sociology. Information about the ASA can be found on the far-right side of the home page toolbar. Here users will find a description of sociology (“the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior”) as well as an informative video (“Sociologists on Sociology”) in which professors from institutions such as the University of Michigan, Princeton University, and University of Texas-Austin describe the field.

On the toolbar, under Academic & Professional Resources, students can access the Major in Sociology link. This section includes valuable webinars for undergraduates, such as “Building a Career with a Bachelor’s Degree” and “What Are You Going to Do with That?” Graduate students will find helpful tools under the Careers with a Sociology PhD link, which offers advice for postgraduates and aspiring faculty. For those exploring careers beyond academia, the Careers for Sociologists in Practice Settings video series features nine informative videos highlighting diverse professional paths.

From an academic reference librarian’s perspective, one of the most valuable features of the ASA homepage is the Data Dashboard (located under Academic and Professional Resources . Data About the Discipline . Data Dashboard). This resource offers charts and tables that highlight key trends in sociology, including degrees awarded, gender, race and ethnicity, and more. For instance, in 2023, approximately 23,000 bachelor’s degrees and 627 doctorates were awarded in sociology. A closer look reveals that 76% of bachelor’s degree recipients were female, with racial/ethnic breakdowns of 41% White, 34% Hispanic, and 17% African American. Among doctorate recipients, 62% were female, with 67% White, and 12% each identifying as Hispanic or African American. The dashboard also includes data on the Characteristics of Sociology Programs, such as faculty teaching loads, categorized by Carnegie classification.

The ASA home page provides a plethora of professional resources, including access to online programs for the Society’s 2025 and 2026 annual meetings. ASA members can access ten journals directly from the home page, including American Sociological Review, Sociological Theory, and Teaching Sociology. In addition, the ASA’s DEI section features information about the Society’s Minority Fellowship Program. — Wendell G. Johnson, Northern Illinois University, wjohnso1@niu.edu.

Poets House. Access: https://poetshouse.org/.

In 1985, Poets House was founded by two-time poet laureate of the United States, Stanley Kunitz, and New York-based arts administrator and poetry advocate, Elizabeth “Betty” Kray. Kunitz and Kray launched Poets House as a national literary center and library concerned with all poetry published in or translated into English, with an emphasis on contemporary American poets. Kray donated a portion of her personal library to establish the collection, which has since grown to more than 70,000 volumes. The library in New York City is open to the public. The center offers resources online through PoetsHouse.org.

At first glance, Poets House seems geared toward patrons who can visit in person, with a home page that highlights upcoming in-person events. However, the site has much to offer digitally. A navigation bar across the top of the page has dropdown menus pointing to content such as educational classes and programs that are offered in person, remotely, and/or by streaming. The Poets House library catalog is prominently linked. While the collection does not circulate, the physical holdings can be searched.

For the fully digital patron, the richest content is found under the “Archive” menu. Poets House’s archive of audio and video features more than 450 recordings of poetry readings, presentations, receptions, and open house conversations with poets. Each recording’s landing page contains contextualizing information and links to related recordings—a thoughtful feature. The blog archive deserves a close look. Since 2024, Poets House has posted articles such as poet interviews and close readings of poetry, in addition to the standard blog news.

The digital collection is the latest feature from Poets House, showcasing chapbooks from the 1960s to the 1980s. The collection contains only ten books so far, with more being added monthly, but they are exceptionally well contextualized. Each digitized chapbook is presented in full color in a viewer. Beneath the viewer are tabs leading to short essays written by credentialed experts. The essays cover the chapbook, the author, and the publisher. The fourth and final tab, “Audio/Video,” features recordings of the author reading their work.

This site is highly recommended. Poets House offers a rich digital resource for academic librarians supporting programs in literature, creative writing, or cultural studies. Teachers, students, and writers of contemporary American poetry will find plenty of value here. — Katharine Van Arsdale, Andrews University, vanarsdk@andrews.edu.

Journalist’s Toolbox. Access: https://www.journaliststoolbox.org/.

The Society of Professional Journalists sponsors the Journalist’s Toolbox, a comprehensive online resource for students and professionals in journalism and data journalism. The site offers guidance on daily information needs, such as accessing public records, understanding First Amendment rights, and practicing mobile journalism. The website also serves as a clearinghouse for locating reliable sources commonly used by journalists.

The Journalist’s Toolbox originated from a syllabus created by Mike Reilley in 1996. The “About the Toolbox” page provides a detailed history of its development, along with instructions for suggesting new resources and reporting broken links. Notably, many of the topic headings were last updated in 2023, reflecting the site’s ongoing maintenance and relevance.

Most of the outbound links to additional resources are current and pertinent. The site is both keyword-searchable and offers an A-to-Z “Browse Topics” column, featuring categories such as AI for Journalists, Covering Hate Crimes, and Legal Resources. The keyword search function returns results organized under broad topics and directory headings, making navigation straightforward. A distinctive feature of the site is its practical guidance on journalistic ethics and handling sensitive topics. Content within the Toolbox is available under a Creative Commons license.

A more current iteration of the Toolbox is available at https://journaliststoolbox.ai, a redesigned version of the original site that reflects the growing role of AI in journalism. For a fee, users can subscribe to its Substack-powered weekly newsletter, which highlights new online tools for journalists. The Society of Professional Journalists’ YouTube channel complements these resources with more than 135 tutorial videos, offering training on a wide range of journalism skills. While the videos date back five years, new content is added regularly, including as recently as last week. As with the original site, both the AI-focused Toolbox and the YouTube channel are curated by Mike Reilley, providing trusted, well-maintained resources.

This resource is especially valuable for subject specialist librarians supporting journalism or communication programs. The Journalist’s Toolbox offers a well-rounded, curated collection of tools and references that can enhance course-related research guides, classroom instruction, and individual research consultations. Its breadth, ranging from guidance on public records requests to ethical reporting practices, makes it an excellent resource to share with students and faculty alike, ensuring access to credible, current, and discipline-specific materials. — Molly Susan Mathias, University of Wisconsin, mathiasm@uwm.edu.