WPSphere Repository (William Paterson University)

Handwritten notes from interview with  V. P. Spiridon

Photograph of one man golfing and one observing

Men Golfing

William Paterson University Board of Trustees

Board of Trustee Minutes 05/03/2013

Photograph of an event with President McKinley and Vice-President Hobart standing on a platform. Possibly a campaign event

Photograph of President McKinley and Vice-President Hobart

David and Lorraine Cheng Library

ChengChat by Mark Sandford 
 
Wikidemia.   
The other day I was listening to the news on the radio when the reporter mentioned the use of “Hela” 
cells in recent scientific research and mentioned that there was some kind of controversy about them.  
Having no idea what Hela cells are, I wanted to find a quick overview of why they were important and 
what the controversy was.   
Scopus, one of the Library’s science databases, returns just over 80,000 hits on a search for “Hela cells,” 
nearly all with titles I don’t understand.  That is hardly a surprise, since articles in databases like Scopus 
are written for experts—people who already know what Hela cells are and are already aware of the 
issues that surround them.  For a capstone project in biology, Scopus would be invaluable, but for a 
simple Librarian, Wikipedia just might do.   
The first paragraph of Wikipedia’s entry on Hela cells (or HeLa cells, it turns out), explained that they are 
a line of human cells that can be indefinitely reproduced in scientific labs and are used in various kinds 
of research.  They are named for the woman they came from: Henrietta Lacks.  The second paragraph 
explained one of the controversies surrounding their use:  Ms. Lacks never agreed to have her cells used 
for research.  The cells were cancerous, which accounts for their being “immortal” or able to reproduce 
indefinitely in the correct environment.  I also learned that at that time (and even today) it is neither 
required nor common for researchers to ask for a patient’s permission to use any tissue removed as a 
part of a surgical process.  They are considered medical waste and no longer the property of the person 
they came from.  There is also another issue—the cells are unusually good at cross-contaminating other 
cell lines in the same laboratory, which interferes with biological research.   
There is more on Wikipedia about the HeLa cells, but my curiosity was satisfied.  And if I were a student 
writing a paper, I would now have enough context to begin researching their use in laboratories.  For 
controversial topics, some articles are more biased than others.  But knowing what the controversies are 
can help you narrow down your topic if you find yourself overwhelmed.  For HeLa cells, I might have 
begun with just the idea of their use in research as a topic, but with Wikipedia’s help, I can narrow down 
my paper to the concerns of cross-contamination in labs.  
Bottom line: 
 It’s OK to start with Wikipedia. 
 Use it for background information only. 
 Some of the articles are better than others (it’s usually obvious).  Be critical. 
 It’s impossible to determine the authority. You don’t know who contributed to the article or 
what their expertise is. 
 Check out the external links and references.  Are they helpful?  Do they still work? 
 Don’t cite it for your research paper unless your professor says it’s OK. 


ChengChat

Notes from interview with Garret A. Hobart, IV

Newspaper photo of Garret A. Hobart statue at Paterson Courthouse. Newspaper photo of Garret A. Hobart statue at Paterson Courthouse. No date

Anderson, Jack

Newspaper photo of Garret A. Hobart statue at Paterson Courthouse.

A photocopy of a photograph of a group of ramblers at Gaede's, Haledon Hill. From an unknown book. Handwritten notes: Joseph Rydings, NJ Historical Society

Not a member yet

Handwritten notes from interview with V. P. Spiridon

Men Golfing

Board of Trustee Minutes 05/03/2013

Photograph of President McKinley and Vice-President Hobart

ChengChat

Notes from interview with Garret A. Hobart, IV

Newspaper photo of Garret A. Hobart statue at Paterson Courthouse.

ChengChat

Ramblers at Gaede's, Haledon Hill

Board of Trustees Retreat Minutes 10/04/2013

1,322

2,702