New Lexis-Nexis weaker but easier to use

University students and faculty members who once depended on Lexis-Nexis, one of the most extensive news and legal databases available, now must do their research on a less powerful version of the service, as officials recently scrapped the popular tool in favor of a cheaper sibling. Last Monday, Penn library administrators terminated the University's subscription to Lexis-Nexis, which people accessed through the text-based Telnet computer program. In its place is a World Wide Web-based database called Academic Universe. Although the new database has some advantages over Lexis-Nexis --Eincluding the ability to print entire articles and access the program at any time -- it lacks one major feature of Lexis-Nexis: being able to search the full text of articles and court decisions. Academic Universe, available since June 1, often searches only headlines and lead paragraphs and for company names, making it tougher to find a reference buried in an article, for instance. Penn and many other universities nationwide discontinued Lexis-Nexis this year after Reed Elsevier Inc., the publishing company that owns the service, announced it was raising the price sharply. Previously, the company offered the Telnet version of Lexis-Nexis with an "academic discount," resulting in a $26,000 annual tab for the Penn library system. Recently, however, Reed Elsevier increased the price by 1,385 percent to $360,000 per year, forcing major research libraries across the United States to end their subscriptions. "It was far too expensive to continue providing the old, Telnet version of Lexis-Nexis," said Joseph Zucca, executive assistant to the vice provost and director of libraries. "There was no way the [library's $8 million] budget could handle it." To compensate for the inability to search the full text of articles, the library is also offering a Web-based version of the Dow Jones news database. In contrast to Academic Universe, the Dow Jones system allows a full-text search of 50 of the nation's top newspapers and magazines. When the databases are used in conjunction with each other, library administrators are confident that researchers will be able to get the information they need. Jane Bryan, the head reference librarian at Van Pelt Library, said students have found the new version easier to use. "The response from students has been that they liked the Web-based versions of [Lexis-Nexis] and Dow Jones far better than the Telnet versions," Bryan said. "If they conduct searches using both databases, they should be successful." What remains to be seen is how faculty who once depended on Lexis-Nexis for many of their assignments will respond to the new changes. Communications Professor Joseph Turow, who assigned students to use Lexis-Nexis in completing assignments, said he will try using the new system. Academic Universe "requires students to have a much more focused notion" of what they're searching for, Turow noted. Another difference between the databases is that University students and faculty and staff members now have complete access to the databases. Previously only students and faculty members could use the database. To access the database from a University computer, users are required to enter their last name and for a password, the last 10 digits on their PennCard. To provide universities with a transition period to get accustomed to the new system over the next year, Reed Elsevier is offering a new, Telnet-based version of Lexis-Nexis free of charge until June 30, 1999, library officials said. The version is more powerful than Academic Universe but less extensive than the old Lexis-Nexis. A full list of the differences between Lexis-Nexis and Academic Universe is available through the library's Web site at http://www.library.upenn.edu.