The UN Documents Alert Service allows you to quickly locate important recent documents. Since users often want recent documents, this is a noteworthy service.
The UN General Assembly website is a comprehensive source of information on the GA.
The Dag Hammarskjold Library offers a variety of useful services. Note especially "Info Quest" and the UN Documentation Research Guide. The latter is your best source of information on UN publications.
The United Nations Scholars' Workstation is an excellent resource. Note especially the research tools section.
The UN CyberSchoolBus allows users to easily compare countries on a variety of variables such as homicide rate. Useful for model UN students.
An introductory list to international government organizations (IGOs) may be useful, especially since IGOs play an increasingly important role in international affairs.
The most comprehensive list of international government organizations is compiled by the Union of International Associations.
The Welcome to Europa web site provides access to much useful information {may be slow}.
The European Union has an official site for how to find information that is most useful.
**Please note that some of the sources suggested
below are now available via the web so that the digital version
may be used instead of the print one.
1. You have been asked to speak to a business course on organized labor. In particular, the faculty member has asked you to say a bit about the collections and services of the International Labor Organization. Introduce this organization, including some comment on what it actually does, and then characterize its publication program, with an emphasis on statistical sources available on the web.
2. A travel agent calls with questions about vaccination requirements for travel to India and China. You immediately think of the World Health Organization. What other sources might provide this information? Does a U.S. government agency provide vaccination information for travelers? Helpful web sources?
3. A user is interested in locating international agreements dealing with slavery. You might begin with the UN documentation research guide on human rights, but consider other sources.
4. A college undergraduate has recently read an article about an organization of Scandinavian governments and would like to know more about the organization and its activities.
5. A graduate student in business is looking for international financial statistics, especially on changes in interest rates in Japan. You recall a reference to International Financial Statistics [PER HJ 109 .I5] or perhaps it was to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook [HJ 101 .G67]. Are these statistics now available on the web? Which agencies?
6. A graduate student in economics is interested in statistics on the trade and balance of payments between the United States and China {mainland} and how the these have changed over time. You begin with the Balance of Payments Yearbook [HF 1014 .I5] and International Trade [HF 499 .C65]. Are these statistics now available on the web? Which agencies?
7. A patron is interested in the trade between Spain and Cuba. Has it increased over time? Begin by looking at the Direction of Trade Statistics [HF 1 .D52]. Are these statistics now available on the web? Which agencies?
8. You have been asked to speak to an undergraduate class in international relations on the United Nations and its specialized agencies. You need to prepare a brief, current, introductory reading list [the teacher strongly prefers print sources] on the UN with some emphasis on how it is organized and who does what. Consider Everyone's United Nations [REF JX .Z392], the Yearbook of the United Nations [REF JX 1977 .A37Y4], and the Yearbook of International Organizations [REF JX 1904 .A42]. The Europa Yearbook is also be helpful.
*9. The University is offering a special summer program in
political science - public affairs for bright, successful college
bound high school students. A concluding event will be a model
U.N. session where students will represent particular national
delegations to the U.N. and vote on controversial issues. You
have been asked to provide an introduction to access to the
debates and voting records of different nations. Which sources
are most useful?
10. You have been told to prepare for the Model UNers. What can you learn about the Model UN program? What have libraries done to assist this program?
11. You have been asked to speak to a reference class in a nearby library school. The faculty member wants you to introduce the general United Nations statistical yearbooks: U.N. Statistical Yearbook [REF HA 12.5 U63], and the U.N. Demographic Yearbook [HA 17 .D45]. A visit to the U.N.'s Statistical Division might be useful. Do digital, web-based equivalents exist?
12. The Bibliography of Official Statistical Yearbooks and Bulletins { HA 155 .W4 ] is now several years out of date. Is there a website that provides access to a wide variety of official statistical yearbooks and bulletins? If so, evaluate ease of use and utility.
13. A patron is taking a course in contemporary book publishing where she has been asked to prepare a brief report on book publishing in a foreign nation. She has selected Finland and asks for your help. How many books are published in Finland in a typical year? You might begin with the UNESCO Yearbook, but it seems dated. What can you find at the UNESCO Institute for Statistics website?
14. A patron is trying to locate information on social conditions in Africa South of the Sahara, especially in Uganda She has located a title called World Population [HB 848 .W67], but wonders if there are web sources. How would you go about locating information on the social conditions of Africa using web-based government information sources?
15. A user needs to know more about the Bank for International Settlements. What does it do? How important is it?
16. A student in transportation is interested in railroad passenger travel in Western Europe, especially in France, and Great Britain. Comparative statistics would be especially useful. You might begin with the The European Union in the U.S. website. or the The EuroStat website {may be slow}. What can you find? Other useful sources?.
17. You have run across several casual references to a firm called UNIPUB that seems to sell foreign and international government documents and publications. They may have a www site. What can you find out about them?
18. A patron has encountered popular news stories about a
substantial decline in the population of fish in the last few
years, especially in the North Atlantic. You immediately think of
the Yearbook of Fishery Statistics [SH 1 .Y4]. Is there a web-based equivalent? How useful is it?
19. You have been asked to speak to an undergraduate class in agricultural economics about the Food and Agriculture Organization. Provide a brief introduction to the organization and its activities. Do indicate what food and agriculture includes--a scope statement. Then characterize its major statistical publications, including the FAO Yearbook [HD 1421 .P7 and HD 1421 .T7], and the Agriculture 21 website as well as the FAOSTAT website.. Given these websites, does a library still need the print yearbook?
20. A patron has found an OECD Economic Survey for the Netherlands in the public catalog and would like a list of all of these Surveys. Can you find a current list of these publications?
21. A patron is looking for statistical information on the
pulp and paper industry in Western Europe. Begin with the
Panorama of EC Industry [HC 241.2 P313] and the
Yearbook of Industrial Statistics [HA 40 .I6U55]. Are web-based equivalents available? How useful are they?
22. A patron is looking for a statistical abstract for the European Community. In particular, she is interested in statistics on book sales and book publishing. You find Basic Statistics of the Community [HA 1107 .S7]. Is a web-based equivalent available? How useful?
23. The World Bank has created a website for teachers and students. Evaluate the quality and utility of this site. Would you add it to a selective list of government sites?
24. You have found a confusing reference to the International Data
Base at the Census website What is this source? Characterize
scope, arrangement, and utility.
25. You have a query about the world population in 2010. You
might begin with the Department of Economic and Social
Affairs population site, but consider other sources
too.
Last major revision: August 2006.
