Keesing's was a platinum sponsor of the International Studies Association (ISA) 50th convention in New York last week.  Some 5,000 academics and researchers from around the world attended.  The range of papers and poster sessions was huge and the Keesing's stand in the large exhibition hall received numerous visitors.  

I really enjoyed having the chance to meet so many people who regularly use Keesing's and to hear about the fascinating range of research methods and topics Keesing's supports.  Keesing's has been used to generate random samples of key political events for trend analysis, to confirm casualty figures in peace and conflict studies, to create a database of major instances of urban violence, and to produce a list of periods when Indian states were under federal control.  

Another pleasure was talking to a number of younger students who had not yet used Keesing's but were very interested in what we provide.  Several assured me that they had been looking for just such a source to help them with their studies so I hope there will be even more innovative and imaginative uses of Keesing's by the young researchers of the future.

Fran Alexander, Editor