PI/1444
20 September 2002

UNITED NATIONS YEARBOOK COLLECTION PUBLISHED
FOR FIRST TIME, PLACING 53 YEARS OF UNITED
NATIONS HISTORY ON CD-ROM

NEW YORK, 19 September (UN Headquarters) -- For the first time, the wealth of information presented over the years in the United Nations Yearbook, the primary comprehensive and authoritative reference work on the Organization, is available in CD-ROM format as the "United Nations Yearbook Collection". This new information service, which will be updated annually, has been developed and produced by the Department of Public Information.

The "Collection", which is on two CD-ROMs, includes all 53 volumes of the United Nations Yearbook published to date. This was made possible through the use of some of the latest scanning and compression technology. Users of the CD-ROMs will be able to access the 59,472 pages of text and indices in a familiar environment as the Collection uses widely available PDF format and Adobe software for navigation and searching. The Index search enables users to follow an issue across volumes, tracking the many fundamental changes that the Organization has seen over the years. Even more specific full text searches are possible in any particular Yearbook. The familiar Yearbook format has been retained to make it as easy to browse, as it is to search for specific information.

In recognizing the broad audience for the United Nations Yearbook, the CD-ROMs have been designed to work in Windows, Macintosh, Linux and UNIX environments. The Collection is also available in two versions, one designed for the single user, which can be used on personal computers, and the other designed for use on computer networks. This latter version will make it possible for institutions, such as libraries or government offices, to make the Collection accessible to anyone that has access to their networks.

The United Nations Yearbook Collection is now available on a subscription basis from United Nations Publications, Two United Nations Plaza, Room DC2-853, Dept PRES, New York, NY 10017, USA, Tel. 800-252-9646 or 212-963-8302, Fax. 212-963-3489, E-mail: publications@un.org; or Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, Tel. 41-22-917-2614, Fax. 41-22-917-0027, E-mail: unpubli@unog.ch. Internet: http://www.un.org/publications

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