LexisNexis Statistical has launched a new interface and a new name: Statistical Insight.

Statistical Insight features a greatly simplified search interface that searches across abstracts, table text, and datasets. As you type in the search box, a type-ahead feature will provide suggested keywords or related terms to help you improve your search.

Additionally, Statistical Insight presents your search results in a format that is easier to interpret. New filtering options let you narrow your results by date, geographic region, or type of data.

Heavy users of LexisNexis Statistical may consider participating in an upcoming webinar about the new interface. The next Statistical Insight webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 3 at 11:30am.

As always, if you have questions or problems with Statistical Insight or any library databases, please contact a librarian or chat with us via the Meebo box on our homepage.

Thanks to the Obama Administration's Open Government Initiative, hundreds of datasets from various governmental agencies are now available for free at http://www.data.gov. The release of these datasets marks a significant step towards open access and government transparency. Among the represented agencies are the departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, and Health and Human Services.

The site currently offers three data catalogs. The Raw Data Catalog contains downloadable datasets in XML, CSV, and other machine readable formats. The Tool Catalog links out to agency-specific tools or websites for datamining. The Geodata Catalog includes geospacial datasets with additional Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata. Each of these catalogs has a keyword search function; reports can also be filtered by agency or subject area.

Michigan-specific datasets are also available on the official state website.

New types of analysis data are now available through Business & Company Resource Center. A detailed Financials dashboard is available for many companies; this dashboard includes stock information, charting, related companies, and press releases and can be accessed by clicking on the Financials tab on each company's profile page in BCRC. In addition, nearly 500 SWOT analyses can be downloaded from individual company profile pages.

Business & Company Resource Center is available to those affiliated with the Ross Business School and the University of Michigan, as well as Kresge library guests, via the library's A-Z Database Listing. A help guide is available, but please contact a librarian if you have questions about access or use of this database.

Plunkett Research Online has introduced several new features. Users now have the ability to ability to export industry statistics tables directly into Excel for analysis. A new Manufacturing Industry Research Center provides company profiles, statistics, market research, and trend data. In addition, the Archives section now contains all Plunkett books ever published, back to The Almanac of American Employers 1985.

Plunkett Research Online is available to current Ross students, faculty, and staff on the library's A-Z database page.

If you have problems with Plunkett Research Online or any of the library's resources, please contact a librarian or chat with us via the Meebo box on our homepage.

Sports Business Research Network (SBRnet) has launched a new homepage, which features easy navigation to all major research sections, sport-by-sport coverage, and an "in the news" section that highlights worldwide happenings in sport business and marketing.