LexisNexis™ Current Issues Universe To Benefit Students at 48 Ohio High Schools
Access to a valuable reference and self-teaching tool will simplify research, promote critical thinking

DAYTON, OH, July 09, 2002 - LexisNexis™, the global leader in legal, news and business information services, today announced an agreement with the North Coast Educational Media Center that will give students at 48 northern Ohio high schools access for the next two years to LexisNexis™ Current Issues Universe, a valuable reference and self-teaching tool.

LexisNexis Current Issues Universe was released last fall and has garnered praise throughout the industry, being cited as a “Best Reference Database of 2001” by Library Journal and earning a place as a 2002 Codie Award Finalist.

It helps students develop critical thinking skills by providing easy access to a growing collection of more than 9,300 authoritative, full-text documents on hundreds of current issues from hundreds of organizations, including advocacy groups, private think tanks, government agencies, university research centers and international organizations. The documents provide multiple perspectives on current topics, addressing such issues as homeland security, the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, educational reform and human cloning. Additional coverage is provided through editorials from major newspapers and opinion polls from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, enabling students to stay abreast of breaking developments.

An intuitive interface allows the user to find documents through either a list of issues or a guided search form.

Commenting on the new agreement to offer LexisNexis Current Issues Universe, the Center’s director, Elizabeth Nace, said, “LexisNexis is an outstanding addition to our online menu of educational resources. LexisNexis is the most widely used database in American universities. High school students using it will strengthen and broaden their research skills, and move to a higher level of critical thinking, better preparing themselves for college and for life.”

“LexisNexis Current Issues Universe is a fabulous resource for students who need to research a topic for a paper or a debate,” said Timothy Fusco, vice president, LexisNexis Business and Academic Publishing. “But it is more than simply that. When students examine issues from multiple viewpoints and form their own conclusions, they become more sophisticated, independent researchers and thinkers. That’s one reason we’re so excited about this product—it extends beyond a reference tool and encourages critical thinking.”

The North Coast Educational Media Center serves public and private K-12 schools in the Greater Cleveland area including Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, and Summit counties.

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis™ is the global leader in comprehensive and authoritative legal, news and business information and tailored applications.  Its online services combine searchable access to over three billion documents from thousands of sources.  A member of Reed Elsevier plc [NYSE:  ENL; NYSE:  RUK], LexisNexis is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, USA, and does business in 100 countries with 12,000 employees worldwide.  The company offers an extensive range of products and customized tools that address job-specific and organization-wide information needs, driving productivity and confident decision making.

In addition to LexisNexis™ at nexis.com and lexis.com for corporate, government, legal and association professionals, the company’s diverse portfolio of products includes PR Solutions for public relations practitioners; Risk Solutions including extensive public records capabilities and featuring the National Fraud Center for law enforcement and investigative professionals; LexisNexis™ Universe products for academic institutions; and The Directory of Corporate Affiliations and the Advertising Redbooks.  LexisNexis recently was named one of KM World magazine’s “Top 100 Companies in Knowledge Management.”