United Nations Documents

Although not an official United Nations depository library, the Hodges Library collection includes publications from the UN and its subsidiary organs.

UN material types are: Masthead Documents, Official Records, Sales publications, and Press Releases. Documents distributed to libraries are assigned a UN classification symbol, for example A/55/1.

Masthead Documents (MDOCs) - are generated to facilitate the work of the UN and its bodies, usually in connection with an item on a meeting agenda. Documents include meeting agendas, records of meetings, resolutions, reports of the Secretary-General, the documents of human rights treaty bodies.

Official Records - include financial reports, bugets and strategic plans, official proceedings, voting records, speeches, resolutions, decisions, and reports of the principal organs. For example, the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization.

UN official records from 1946-1992 (coverage varies by organ) are located in Hodges Library stacks. Documents issued by an organ are classed together as a series. Indexes to Resolutions and Proceedings are included:
General Assembly: JX1977.A41
Economic and Social Council: HC 59.A193
Security Council: JX1977.A515
Trusteeship Council: JX 4021.U385
Disarmament Commission: JX 1974.U412
Trade and Development Board: HF 1410.U58

Official Records are continued in microfiche from 1995-2008 in the United Nations Documents Readex microfiche collection JX1977.A2 located in Documents and Microforms. The fiche are arranged by year, then by UN document symbol within each year. Search AccessUN to find documents in the microfiche collection.
Sales Publications - are created to enhance the public policy work of the UN. They include monographs and serials that are made available for purchase. The Library selects and catalogs UN sales publications individually by title. Search the library's online catalog for publications associated with the UN and its affiliated organizations.

Press Releases - are issued to the news media to facilitate coverage of UN activities. These may include meeting summaries and proceedings.
UN Press Releases Full Text Search
Press releases are the best source for recent information. They not only provide information about meetings, but frequently include the full text of the resolutions and statements agreed upon at the meeting. In addition, compilations of resolutions for the General Assembly (regular, special and emergency special sessions) and the Security Council are produced well in advance of the official record containing the same material.

Indexes/Databases

• AccessUN -- 1991- present.
  Provides information on current United Nations issues and documents and publications of the main United Nations bodies. Also included are articles in UN periodicals and individual treaties in the UN Treaty Series. Links to full-text of resolutions, decisions and provisional verbatim records from plenary meetings. To find fiche make a note of the "Readex Year" and document symbol for any materials of interest.
  
  
• UNBISnet 1979-
  UN Bibliographic Information System indexes United Nations publications and some non-UN publications in its library. Searchable by author, title, subject, and UN number. Voting records and speeches included since 1983.
  

• United Nations Official Documents (ODS) 1993-
  Covers all types of official United Nations documents with older UN documents added to the system daily. ODS also provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards. The system does not contain press releases, UN sales publications, the United Nations Treaty Series, or information brochures issued by the Department of Public Information.
  
  Retrospective Indexes:
  • United Nations Documents Index (UNDI)
    Volumes for 1950-1973, Hodges Stacks Z6482.U453
  
  
  • UNDEX: United Nations Document Index, ST/LIB/Ser.M,
    1974-1978, Hodges Stacks Z6482.U453
  
  
  • UNDOC: Current Index, ST/LIB/Ser.M,
    1978-1983 Hodges Stacks Z6482.U453
  
  
• UN Pulse: Connecting to UN Information Online
  Offers access to UN actions and major reports. Good resource for newly released information and full text of UN materials.
  

  Statistical Resources

  • UNdata
    Brings together UN statistical databases with selected data series from a variety of statistical resources of the UN System.
    
    
  • United Nations Statististics Division
    Find statistics on many topics from a variety of UN statistical sources including the Statistical Yearbook, World Statistics Pocketbook, Millennium Country Profiles, and Population and Vital Statistics.
    
    
  • InfoNation
    
  United Nations database that allows viewing and comparison of the most up-to-date statistical data for the member states of the United Nations. The first menu allows selection of up to seven countries. The data menu allows selection of multiple statistical data fields.
  
  
  • Statistical Yearbook of the League of Nations, 1926-1944 (Northwestern University)
    
    
  • LexisNexis Statistical 1983-
    Provides the interface to statistical titles from international organizations. Select "Find a Publication", then limit search by checking the box for International and Inter-Governmental Resources, then search by subject or keyword and "united nations." The database indexes UN documents with demographic, economic and social statistics including sales publications and documents of the General Assembly and its sub-bodies. The full-text on microfiche is available in Documents & Microforms. IIS fiche are filed by year and number. For example, Record Number: IIS 2001 3000-D606.

    Other Resources

    • United Nations System Pathfinder
    
    Produced by the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library, the purpose of the pathfinder is to identify major publications of the organizations comprising the United Nations system. Materials were selected with a view to currency, relevance and usefulness. Global studies and reports, handbooks and guides, bibliographies and indices, international statistical publications, compilations of treaties, resolutions and documents as well as annual reports of UN bodies and specialized agencies are included.
    
    
    • Charter of the United Nations
      Fulltext is provided via the UN Web page.
      
      
    • UN Chronicle
    
    Quarterly news magazine published by the UN Department of Public Information. Selected articles are online. Hodges Library JX1977.A1 U564
    
    
    • United Nations Treaty Collection
    
    Most materials are freely accessible. The overview provides a description of database contents.
    
    
    • Hein Online
    
    Search the "Treaties and Agreements Library" for international treaties to which the United States is a signatory.