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History of the United Nations Collection

The Marriott Library has been a United Nations depository since 1968. Publications include UN "masthead" documents (the working papers of the bodies of the UN, from the General Assembly to Ad Hoc committees), monographs, and serials. The Marriott library owns the READEX United Nations microfiche collection from 1946 - 1981. This collection is far more complete than a depository collection. Unfortunately, we don't have the corresponding index for this collection. The best way to currently access this historical collection is through the print index, the United Nations Document Index.

A substantial portion of this collection has not been cataloged. When you find a citation to a document from a print index, another document, or an on-line catalog, please look the title up in the library catalog first. If it isn't there, you should use the call number to check our shelves next, then ask for a librarian to check in UN microfiche.

If the item is relatively recent, from about 1993 on, it may be available online from the publishing committee/agency's web site, or from the UN Official Documents System.

The UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library is collaborating with the Library of the United Nations Office at Geneva in digitizing pre-1993 UN documents (Please note that UN documents after 1993 are automatically produced in digital format).

Documents in the six official languages are scanned, processed for full text retrieval, and uploaded to the UN Official Documents System (ODS).

Most items are shelved in the United Nations area on Stack Level 1. For items that have been cataloged, the catalog record will direct you to the proper location. If the Marriott Library does not have the United Nations item you would like, and you are affiliated with the University as a faculty member, staff member, or student, you may request a copy of the item be sent to the Marriott Library through Interlibrary Loan

http://www.un.org
The United Nations' home page. From here, you can access all UN public web sites, including new briefs, documentation, and publications. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-system is an excellent starting place. From this page, you can see the placement of the subsidiary bodies.