The University of St. Thomas Libraries subscribe to databases and electronic materials based on curricular needs and faculty requests. We are continually watching for products that address these needs with relevant, easy-to-access content. One long-standing need is legal information for students who are not in law school. For example, students studying business or social work may require primary and secondary legal information on a variety of topics in their disciplines. Lexis Nexis, now known as Nexis Uni, has long been our database for that type of legal information, as well as providing national and international news sources and public company information. However, this database has never been easy to search or navigate, so we have been looking for another database that can provide the same information. We have finally found one, Westlaw Campus Research.
Westlaw is a reputable database, and a staple in law libraries across the country. The Westlaw Campus Research is designed for academic research across the disciplines. Along with legal materials, it also contains thousands of full-text news sources, and information about public companies. The decision to cancel Nexis Uni and replace it with Westlaw was made after careful consideration and a trial of the database during which librarians gathered feedback from students and faculty. The response to Westlaw was positive, especially around the interface and ease of searching. We understand that this is a big change and are committed to working with you to make that transition as easy as possible. Our subscription to Nexis Uni will end on July 1, 2018. Access to Westlaw Campus Research is expected to begin by June 2018, so you will have some time when both are available. And for current local and international news sources updated daily, the UST libraries subscribe to Access World News and ProQuest Global Newsstream. Both databases provide access to thousands of news sources that can be searched by topic, Access World News can also be searched by region. If there is anything that your subject librarian can do in order to assist you in using these databases, or to understand the materials in Westlaw, please let us know.
