New Corporate Web Site
According to the announcement, the customer-inspired corporate Web site (http://www.lexisnexis.com) guides visitors to personalized knowledge solutions designed to help them succeed in their jobs and gives customers a unified view of all the company's U.S. products and services.

LexisNexis has consolidated the information contained in the many Web sites thatformerly showcased its products and services—such as Matthew Bender, Shepard's, Academic and Library Solutions, and the National Fraud Center—and has created a single e-commerce channel through which all LexisNexis brands, products, and services are offered.

"The idea for the new corporate Web site came from customer feedback. Our customers use LexisNexis products to cut through information overload and find answers to support major decisions. Our prospective customers, deciding which LexisNexis solution provides the best fit for their individual needs, deserve the same easy experience," said Larry Thompson, LexisNexis' senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "We believe the best way to demonstrate the superiority and simplicity of our Web-based products is through our new corporate site, lexisnexis.com. This site not only informs customers of the many products and services LexisNexis offers, but also allows them to purchase on the spot or to easily forward purchasing information to a purchasing agent in their organization."

The site includes the following new features:

• Browsing by name of product, occupation, industry, or task to access a targeted list of products and services
  
  
• A comprehensive customer-service center
  
  
• A unified view of all LexisNexis products and services
  
  
• Increased access to detailed product information
  
  
• A streamlined purchase process
  
  
• An easy way to e-mail product information to colleagues
  
  
• A clean, printer-friendly printout of product information

Current Issues Universe
Current Issues Universe is a Web-based research solution designed to provide students with access to documents that offer multiple perspectives on the issues facing today's society.

According to the announcement, academic assignments often require students to research an issue from a particular viewpoint or to prepare multi-perspective arguments on current issues. CIU addresses these needs with its Current Issues List, a growing collection of more than 2,000 questions focused on key areas of interest and controversy. Questions are arranged by subject category.

According to the announcement, the release of CIU marks the first time students will have online access to these important documents through one research solution. CIU delivers access to the complete text of documents from more than 8,000 gray literature sources—such as reports, theses, conference proceedings, and official documents—that are not commercially published and are typically difficult to locate and acquire. The documents are produced by hundreds of advocacy groups, private think tanks, professional and trade associations, congressional offices, university research centers, and international organizations.

In addition to these sources, a student can also search for relevant editorials, newspaper articles, and public-opinion polls from other LexisNexis databases.

CIU is continually updated. Documents are added every 2 weeks, while issues are updated based on current events.
 

Accessibility Enhancements
Beverly R. Parker, general manager of sales and corporate and public records services for LexisNexis Federal Markets, said: "As a world-leading electronic content provider of enhanced information solutions and information management tools, LexisNexis recognizes its responsibility to develop services and information technologies that are accessible and usable by our federal government customers with disabilities. As part of our company policy, LexisNexis plans to address the needs of people with disabilities during all the phases of product planning, development, and support."

LexisNexis user interfaces are being enhanced to work with several assistive technologies, including IBM's Home Page Reader, a talking browser, and Freedom Scientific's JAWS (Job Access With Speech) screen reader. For instance, JAWS software can be loaded on a computer with another program, such as a word processor, to capture data as it appears on the screen and convert it to the spoken word.

Similarly, a blind or visually impaired user of IBM Home Page Reader first hears a full range of Web page content—such as text, frames, and images—and navigatesthrough it using a keyboard to access alternate text for images and form elements including JavaScript and data input fields. LexisNexis has worked to ensure that its most popular information services that are sold to federal government customers can be configured to comply with the final regulations of Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1998.

Under the act, federal agencies are required to procure electronic and information technology that's accessible to people with disabilities in a way that's comparable to the access and use by others who don't have disabilities.
 

GSA Schedule
The new contract allows customers from government agencies to obtain information services and solutions in a streamlined manner. Agencies can now gain access to more than 31,000 information sources online by contacting GSA directly to purchase LexisNexis products and services.

"Government agencies are now able to obtain all the information sources and services they require without having to go through a lengthy bidding process," said Parker. "The GSA schedule allows them to procure the LexisNexis solutions that they need quickly and efficiently in order to fulfill their mission-critical needs."

The LexisNexis information collection available through GSA includes the following:

• Legal Information—Federal and state case law, regulations, attorney general opinions, rulings, citation services, and secondary legal sources
  
  
• News Sources—Newspapers, newsletters, magazines, trade journals, wire services, and transcripts
  
  
• Business and Financial Information—SEC documents, corporate profiles, market research reports, financial analyst reports, demographic/geodemographic statistics, and mergers and acquisitions information
  
  
• Public Records—Names, addresses, property information, voter records, asset information, and fraud-detection and -prevention data
  
  
• International Information—World news, public records, country profiles, business analysis and country information, international company profiles, and legal and regulatory information