Here is big news from the UN, DHL. The long-promised free access to official records online starts December 31. Very exciting. Implications for us:
1) Please try it since we need to be able to use it well, for our patrons; you might want to try the PowerPoint introduction
2) We may discontinue the Readex fiche - think about it
3) Amy will put it on the Publications/Int'l page, and wherever else it belongs
Julie
Here's the announcement:
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Dear Depository Librarian,
I am pleased to inform you that on 31 December 2004, the free Official
Document System (ODS) of the United Nations will be launched. A password
will no longer be required and anyone connected with the Internet will be
able to search the ODS and retrieve documents in full text in all official
languages of the United Nations. The free ODS will be at:
http://documents.un.org/
"Introduction to the ODS", a PowerPoint presentation, is available at
http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/train.htm if you are not familiar
with the ODS.
The ODS, which became operational in 1993, has two goals. One is to bring
all UN duty stations (such as regional commissions) online, and the other
to expand coverage retrospectively to 1946 and to consolidate access to all
documents issued by the UN. Currently, the ODS contains close to 800,000
files and approximately 100,000 new documents are added each year. Older
documents are also added on a daily basis. In addition to the two archival
collections located at the UN libraries in New York and Geneva,
respectively, the ODS will, in the future, serve as the electronic archive
of the UN documents.
As I informed you in my previous message, no change will be made in the
current depository scheme until the end of 2005. That means that your
library will continue to receive the same deposit in the same format.
However, you may opt to use solely the ODS. If you would like to cancel
print masthead documents and/or Official Records, please contact me so that
I could make necessary arrangements.
With the free ODS, the role of depository libraries as local custodians of
UN documentation will gradually change. Information services at the
depository libraries will hinge less on how much material collected over
the years but more on how much the depository libraries know the processes
of the UN. Envisaged is a network of libraries actively building awareness
of the UN and UN materials and communicating their relevance to local
issues, among various types of users.
Here's an improvement to the UN's ODS site:
Google full text search is now available on the free Official Document System (ODS) at http://documents.un.org This options is called "Global Search" and it is in addition to the "Simple" and "Advanced" search options currently available on the ODS. Please note that, as this new search option uses a different search engine from the one used by the ODS internally, search results may be slightly different from those obtained by using the "Simple" and "Advanced" search options. You can access the "Global Search" option through the ODS or through specific language access points as follows:
http://documents.un.org/globala.html for Arabic
http://documents.un.org/globalc.html for Chinese
http://documents.un.org/globale.html for English
http://documents.un.org/globalf.html for French
http://documents.un.org/globalr.html for Russian
http://documents.un.org/globals.html for Spanish
The UN Dag Hammarskjold Library has launched a new web page that provides access to the full text of Speeches Made by Member States on the Occasion of UN Anniversaries at http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/anniversary/
Julie
Posted by: Julie at April 25, 2005 01:10 PM