Context [Top]

Name of creator

Public Information Office (PIO), Press and Visits Service, CERN

Administrative history

From the beginning of CERN a Public Relations Section was part of the Scientific and Technical Services. It was responsible for activities such as publication of press releases, organization of interviews, contacts with journalists, preparation and distribution of descriptive leaflets.

In 1957, the section was placed under the immediate supervision of the Director-General and in 1958 became known as the Public Information Office (PIO). The Office was responsible for relations with the press, the preparation of documents for journalists, the organization of visits, conferences and CERN's participation in exhibitions. The activities continued with various changes until present day.

• 1958: The pictorial photography service of the Scientific and Technical Services Division was attached directly to the PIO.
• 1959: Creation of the 'CERN Courier', a publication to keep the CERN staff informed of the organization's activities.
• 1960: The PIO became part of the Administration Division. 'CERN Courier' became quarterly. Production of the CERN film 'Matter in Question'.
• 1964: Administration Division (ADM) was discontinued. The PIO became part of the Central Services (CS) which also included the sections: General Services, Scientific Conference Secretariat, Translation and Minutes Service.
• 1965: Start of a Weekly Bulletin to keep the staff informed about official activities and the activities of the Staff Association. The 'CERN Courier' cotinues as a scientific journal.
• 1967: Production of the CERN film 'European Organization for Nuclear Research'.
• 1968: The PIO assumed responsibility for the production of the regular newsletter 'Europhysics News' in collaboration with the secretariat of the European Physical Society (EPS).
• 1970: Production of Notebooks on the Proton Synchrotron (PS) and the Synchrocyclotron (SC).
• 1971: Complete revision of the standard literature on CERN distributed to the public, due to the creation of the second Laboratory.
• 1972: Production of the CERN film 'Shadows of Bliss'. 1973: New editions of the technical notebooks on Gargamelle, the Synchrocyclotron (SC), the Proton Synchrotron (PS) and the Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR).
• 1974: Production of the CERN film 'Inside CERN'.
• 1978: The PIO was called the 'Press and Visits Service' and became part of the 'Office and Services of the Director-General'.
• 1983: Production of the CERN film 'At CERN: exploring the invisible'.
• 1984: The 'Press and Visits Service' is renamed 'Public Relations Service'.
• 1988: The Microcosm Project, a visitors centre in CERN, is approved by the Director General and construction is started.
• 1992: Creation of the 'Communication and Public Education Group (COPE)'.
• 1993: Inauguration of the Microcosm.
• 1994: Creation inside COPE of the Media and Publication Section and the Visits and Reception Section. For the 40th Anniversary, the film 'Euro Big Bang' is compiled from CERN film archives and seen on television by millions of viewers in nine European countries. Opening of the Reception Shop for the sale of CERN souvenirs.
• 1997: COPE is integrated into the Administrative Support Division (AS). Building of a new traveling CERN exhibition called 'When Energy Becomes Matter'.
• 1998: The production of the CERN Courier was outsourced to the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom.
• 2000: Creation of the Education and Technology Transfer Division (ETT). The activity of the previous COPE was assumed by the Education and Communication (EC) group.
• 2004: ETT was discontinued, Education and Communication group joined the Directorate Service Unit (DSU).

* Source: CERN Annual Reports 1954 - Present

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Received from the Public Information Office (PIO) and Press and Visits Service