‘Yearbook of the United Nations’ Launches New Website with New Features,

 

Better Readability across Platforms, Mobile Devices

 

The United Nations has launched the new website of the Yearbook of the United Nations (http://unyearbook.un.org), the main reference work on the Organization’s activities.

Since 1946–47, the Yearbook has served as the authoritative source of information on the United Nations system, providing comprehensive coverage of political and security matters, human rights issues, economic and social questions as well as legal, institutional, administrative and budgetary matters.

The first Yearbook website made its debut in 2008, offering free access to the Yearbook collection.  The new website boasts a powerful search engine and enhanced, e-book quality readability across all platforms and mobile devices.  A scrolling gallery of Yearbook cover art provides clickable access to each of the 63 published Yearbook volumes.

Yearbook Pre-press, a new feature, offers a look at Yearbooks currently in production, with draft Yearbook chapters and detailed chapter research outlines added regularly.  The Yearbook Express, an online-only publication comprising all Yearbook chapter introductions in the six official United Nations languages — in addition to the annual Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization — returns, with the 2009 and other editions coming soon.

An expanded “Yearbook News” section features stories with background in related Yearbook coverage.  It complements the live feed from the Yearbook Twitter account, with its historical perspective on current United Nations issues.  The “About the Yearbook” section provides an overview of the issues covered in the Yearbook collection and information on the latest published Yearbook, as well as a look back at the more than six decades of Yearbook cover design.

The new website was developed jointly by the Knowledge Solutions and Design Section and the Yearbook Unit of the Department of Public Information.  The web-development team built the site using open-source software, providing improved functionality at substantial savings to the United Nations.

Readers and researchers are encouraged to visit the new website and to use the “Contact” function to provide feedback about their experience.

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For information media • not an official record