Counterbalance. Access: http://www.counterbalance.org/.

Larry Cooperman

Counterbalance, a nonprofit educational organization based in Seattle, has created an interactive library Web site that, in its own words, provides “new views on complex issues;” namely, “how the sciences relate to ethical and religious concerns.” Some of the scientific subjects that the Counterbalance Foundation addresses on its interactive library are genetics, evolution, physics, computing, and neuroscience, and their relationships to ethics, evolution, religion, and health. Perhaps controversially for some researchers, the site covers such philosophical topics as extraterrestrial intelligence (in tandem with astronomical findings) and the existence of God. However controversial these subjects, they are written in a clear, professional style, primarily targeted for undergraduate or graduate researchers.

Material on Counterbalance’s interactive library Web site is very well organized and easy to find; researchers can search 2,600 Web links for topics and material by subject, theme, question, term, person, or event. There is also a basic search box available on the homepage, but researchers will find searching for information by topic more useful. There are also additional links found in the resources section on the main page; these links are primarily organizations of related interest to researchers, such as the John Templeton Foundation and the AAAS Program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion.

A unique feature of this Web site is a well-stocked and well-organized set of 150 hours of interviews organized by topic and by person interviewed. The sound quality and the picture quality of the interviews are excellent; most of the interviews run for approximately 30 minutes. One drawback of the interviews is their currency; many date to around 2003 and prior—one would hope for more updated material to reflect any new ideas or issues dealing with the relationships between the sciences, religion, and philosophy.

The Counterbalance Foundation has provided a well-organized, comprehensive, and thought-provoking interactive Web library devoted to how scientific knowledge and research can coexist and learn from religious and philosophical research and ideas, and vice versa. Highly recommended for undergraduate and graduate students in the physical sciences, biological sciences, religion, and philosophy.

Homelessness Resource Center. Access: http://homeless.samhsa.gov/.

Colleen Lougen, SUNY-New Paltz

The Homelessness Resource Center (HRC) Web site is an online community and clearinghouse dedicated to the prevention and eradication of homelessness in the United States, with a specific emphasis on the homeless afflicted with mental health conditions, trauma, and or/substance abuse issues. HRC is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and operated by the Center for Social Innovation.

The primary audiences of this site are service providers and program administrators. However, the site provides materials that would be useful for the consumer, teacher, or student. The Web site primarily contains professional publications such as statistics, training materials, Webinars, and online training modules for continuing education units.

The strength of this site is its currency, which enables professionals to keep up to date with news and to connect with other professionals in their field. On the site’s homepage, the “Features” section lists the latest publications produced by HRC and by other organizations and professionals, as well as a “News from the Web” section, which lists current and relevant news head-lines. Many of the publications listed on the site are available in full text.

The “Voices from the Field Blog” section allows homelessness providers, HRC trainers, and other approved community members to publish relevant news items, experiences, and or/ideas. In order to post a blog entry, you must be approved by HRC as a guest blogger. Any user of the Web site can create an account and a profile in order to connect with other community members, comment, rate, recommend, or follow items on the site, or to engage in discussion threads.

The HRC site incorporates major social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, enabling users to share content. This award-winning site is well-organized, extremely current, and informative. It is primarily a professional development tool and a useful homepage for any individual working in the homelessness field.

OMB Watch. Access: http://www.ombwatch.org.

Todd J. Wiebe, Hope College Libraries

Formed in 1983, OMB Watch is a non-profit research and advocacy organization with aims to “lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).” The “About Us” section offers substantial information about its history and current goals complete with chronological highlights of accomplishments, staff and board directory, and links to annual reports dating back to 2002.

The subsection “Our Work” explains how over the years OMB Watch has expanded its focus, which is now concentrated in four main areas: 1) budget, taxation, and government performance; 2) access to government information; 3) nonprofit action, advocacy, rights and policy, and; 4) regulatory policy.

The homepage is neatly displayed and simple to navigate. Rotating “Featured Articles” are presented in the center directly above a feed of recent blog posts. The menu bar on the left side of the page contains the hyperlinked headings: “Fiscal Stewardship,” “Government Openness,” “Protecting the Public,” and “Protecting Nonprofit Rights.” These links are broken down into categories and subcategories for easy narrowing and retrieval of “Articles and Analysis” related to each.

A Google Custom Search box is provided for searching the entire Web site, but upon clicking into one of the categories, another search box appears with a prompt to “Search within Section.” There is also a “Tag List” (link at top of page) containing an alphabetic listing of tags associated with the various contents of the site.

The “Publications” section links to an archive of the OMB Watch newsletter, The Watcher, as well as other “Reports” of considerable length on hot-topic issues related to the main areas of interest. All reports are downloadable as PDFs and some of the most recent can also be viewed in a browser-based e-book format. Like the annual reports, the oldest of these publications available online are from 2002.

Another section of the site features Webcasts of panel discussions organized and moderated by OMB Watch. To date there are only four Webcasts available in the archive as it appears these only began airing in January 2010. There is also a “Press Room” with links to the organization’s official press releases. The “Testimony” link leads to a selection of OMB Watch staff-provided statements or questions for the record and comments to various governmental bodies.

Offspring projects of OMB Watch include: Charity and Security Network, Coalition for an Accountable Recovery, FedSpending. org, NP (nonprofit) Action, and The Right-to-Know Network—each with its own Web site.