Introduction
When researchers need to search all UN activities in a particular area, it is time to turn to comprehensive research tools. For instance, one might need to find all the reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Alternatively, one might need a specific document, such as a recent letter regarding Bulgaria's view of landmines.
Unfortunately, no one source covers every aspect of the United Nations in a user-friendly way. Instead, one must pick the best resource depending on the subject and time frame of the research. This requires a balance between paperand online resources, and more importantly between official UN sources and commercial publications. It is not unusual to have to consult several of these sources to find the information needed. The trick is to evaluate the research requirements in order to start with the most likely sources first.
Commercial Online Source and Supplementary Material
United Nations documents and publications : Readex microfiche edition checklist by Call Number: JX1976 .A75Publication Date: 1946-2006AccessUN works in conjunction with a microfiche set. This is a complete set of the UN documents indexed. The microfiche can be used when full text is not available in the ODS. It is best to check this database to be sure the document exists in the set and that the number and date are accurate, before proceeding to the microfiche. Be sure to note the Readex/AccessUN year of the document (which may be different than the document date), as microfiche is filed by Readex/AccessUN year.
UN Online Sources
The United Nations provides several excellent databases for UN research. However, none of these databases are comprehensive.
- UN Official Document SystemDates covered: 1993 - current (complete); 1946-1992 (partial)
This is the official repository of UN documents and includes full-text images (.pdfs) of UN documents. It is free and open to the public. The ODS covers all types of official UN documentation, beginning in 1993 (documents that were born digital). Many older documents have been scanned and added and continue to be added to the system on a daily basis. The database includes resolutions from 1946 onwards. Note that resolutions before 1993 are in a separate database that must be accessed from the Advanced Search screen. The system does not contain press releases, UN sales publications or UN treaties. The system allows for both simple and advanced searching, but the results have sometimes been inconsistent. If you are unable to find your document with this system, try searching for the document in the AccessUN index (which goes back further than the ODS) or UNBISNET (the UN catalog). Then, use the UN document number to search in the ODS. - United Nations Digital LibraryThis platform provides access to UN-produced materials, including documents, maps, open access publications and speeches.
- United Nations Documentation Research GuideFor UN Research, the librarians at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library are the experts and their guides are incredibly useful. However, note that they will not cover some commercial resources to which our library has access and will not include call numbers to our collection.
Indexes
For comprehensive research, the UN provides indexes to their documents. This system includes several paper tools, UNDOC (1984-current), UNDEX (1977-1978), UN Document Series Symbols (1978-1984), and UNDEX "C" (cumulative 1974-1977). All are located in the Finding Aids section of the library on the second floor. Publication of the paper indexes has changed over time. Currently, indexes are issued four times a year, and include two parts: a subject index and a document index. The document index organizes documents by number. Reading this index is a great way to understand how the document symbols work. This is also the best place to find document numbers that are incorrect or incomplete (as opposed to online).
The indexes are helpful finding aids for UN documents, and includes lists of Official Records, sales publications, documents, subject indexes and other helpful materials.
- UNDOC, current index: United Nations documents index (e-resource)Publication Date: 1979-1996Also available in print, Call Number JX1976.A95 D9.
- United Nations Documents Index (e-resource) by Publication Date: 1998-2007Also available in print, Call Number JX1976.A95 D92.
These indexes are a great way to find document numbers. They provide an annual/sessional, comprehensive index of documents issued by the organ. They include a subject index to all documents issued by the organ that year/session and an index to speeches delivered. They also include a voting chart. This is a great way to do research if one knows what organ issued a document.
- Index to proceedings of the General Assembly by Call Number: JX1976.A23 In24Publication Date: 1951-2011
- Index to proceedings of the Security Council (e-resource) by Publication Date: 1964 - 2019Also available in print, Call Number JX1976.A22 In24.
- Index to proceedings of the Economic and Social Council by Call Number: JX1976.A25 In24Publication Date: 1953-2011