When The Annual Register debuted in 1758, libraries were still scarce around the world and protective of their holdings, which were often chained to desks as a safeguard. During the ensuing 254 years, the chains were broken; libraries evolved even further by pushing content outside their walls, providing patrons with 24/7 remote access via computers. That “liberation” continues as the 253rd edition ofThe Annual Register, one of libraries’ most trusted references, makes its debut as an e-book via ProQuest business unit ebrary.
For more than two centuries, The Annual Register has been a “go-to” for librarians who value its year-by-year record of both major and minor world events, with text hearty enough to satisfy serious researchers and straightforward enough to answer a general query. The complete archive of the reference became available as an online tool through ProQuest in 2007, enabling researchers to scan the full-text of every edition in a single search. Now ebrary, the leader in strategic e-book acquisition, will enable libraries to make contents of the last ten editions available as e-books, supported by its rich features and functionality, such as notes, highlights, and shareable bookshelves. The Annual Register can be ordered as an individual e-book — through perpetual archive and patron driven acquisition models — or as part of the most scholarly Academic Complete™ subscription collection. As an e-book, the Annual Register will not only be accessible on any web-enabled device, but it will go mobile via ebrary’s dedicated iOS and Android™ apps.
“The opportunity to provide this content via e-book will allow us to significantly increase its reach to even a broader audience,” said Mary Sauer-Games, ProQuest vice-president, publishing. “Librarians continue to advise us that providing offline access to e-books is more or equally important than providing online access and that non-fiction titles have surpassed fiction in user demand. Opening access to The Annual Registerto e-book users was just another logical step in this work’s evolution.”
From its earliest days, The Annual Register has been considered an essential resource for journalists, politicians, historians, and any individual with an interest in the world’s current affairs. Major events and their historical contexts are provided by specialist contributors; more than 80 were involved with the 253rd edition. Covering 2011 in depth, the new edition explores political developments, obituaries, extracts from critical documents, photographs, and expert analysis in such areas as economics, international organizations, the environment, science and the arts, religion and the law. In addition, the reference remains loyal to its first publishers whom intended The Annual Register to be entertaining as well as enlightening allowing for documentation of less dramatic matters such as public holidays and celebrity weddings.
Significant events of 2011 that are covered in the new edition include:
- Japan’s earthquake and tsunami
- Killing of Osama bin Laden
- Extremist massacre in Norway
- Final space shuttle mission
- Worldwide “Occupy” protests
- Phone hacking damage to Murdoch media enterprise
- Political crisis in Greece
- Growth in global population to 7 billion
- Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton
In addition to its electronic versions, the Annual Register is also available in its traditional hardcover format.
*American Reference Books Annual
