LexisNexis, whose flagship products are the Web-based Lexis and Nexis research services, is in the process of augmenting its textual offering with visual content. "[Visuals help] to tell a story, which is important for investigative and competitive research," says Dawn Conway, vice president of licensing and content. Conway says graphics are of particular interest to LexisNexis, as they provide evidentiary support that text alone cannot always offer.

Newscom and WpN images will now come up in the results listings of searches performed by Lexis and Nexis subscribers. Both content providers represent a number of third parties, including news and picture agencies, photojournalists and stock-photo houses, including Getty Images and Jupiterimages in the case of Newscom. The two image collections combined provide LexisNexis customers with access to rights-managed and royalty-free imagery spanning current and historical news, sports, people, health, science, lifestyles and events.

Thumbnails of images are displayed free of charge for LexisNexis subscribers. Access to downloadable files costs $6 per image. Company spokesperson Jennifer Aleknavage says this charge doesn't cover redistribution; subscribers wishing to license the image for such purposes are directed to Newscom or WpN. When asked about the difference between the images available for $6 through LexisNexis and free previews offered by stock-licensing companies, Aleknavage says that $6 buys a higher-resolution image with print capabilities.

From the image provider perspective, Aleknavage notes this arrangement offers Newscom and WpN access to buyers they may not be reaching through their own Web sites. LexisNexis services the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting and academic markets.

LexisNexis began giving subscribers access to visual content in February, when it augmented its search engine to include an "images" category and announced a partnership with McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. The first collection of visuals included graphics, maps, charts and illustrations from the MTI archives, which represent more than 300 newspapers in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The current image collection covers more than 75 countries, and the company plans to continue expanding its visual offering. The addition of other prominent news collections to LexisNexis services is promised in the coming months.