Intergovernmental publications

We have extensive collections of intergovernmental publications. These are documents published by international organisations, and funded independently or by the governments of more than one country.

We have a large collection of League of Nations publications. You can use the main catalogue to find details of 'League of Nations' material. Select 'Advanced search', change the 'Search Scope' from the default 'Everything' to 'Library collections', and use the 'Any field' option to search for the phrase 'League of Nations'.

Set up in 1920 in the aftermath of the First World War, the League of Nations was an international organisation responsible for managing worldwide peace.

Worldwide unrest throughout the League's duration led to its reputation of failing as a peacekeeping organisation. The League of Nations' final meeting took place on 18 April 1946.

The League's legacy, however, includes much work in social welfare, and the establishment of successful health organisations which eventually became the World Health Organisation.

More about League of Nations publications

We act as a depository library for the United Nations (UN), and have received all UN publications since its inception in 1945. We have an archive of their publishing output from this date up to 2012.

The Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945. The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the Charter.

United Nations material is also available through the UN iLibrary.

UN finding aids

• Official document system (ODS): Search of full-text documents issued since 1993, along with resolutions of all principal organs and Security Council plenary documents since 1946. Older documents are added regularly
• United Nations Bibliographic Information Service (UNBISnet):
  • UNBISnet bibliographic records: An online database of United Nations documents and publications from 1979 onwards. Also provides access to voting records and index to speeches
  • UNBISnet index to speeches: Meeting records of the principal organs, from the mid-1980s onwards
  • UNBISnet voting records: The recorded vote for all resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and Security Council, 1946 to present.
• United Nations Digital Library: The Digital Library includes UN documents, voting data, speeches, maps, and open access publications. The platform provides access to UN-produced materials in digital format and bibliographic records for print UN documents starting in 1979.
• UNData: UN statistical databases from a wide range of departments and subject matter
• UN Treaty series online: All treaties and international agreements registered or filed and recorded by the UN Secretariat since 1945
• Yearbook of the United Nations: A detailed overview of the UN's activities during the course of a year, with all yearbooks available online, from 1945 to the most recent.

We act as a depository library for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Established in 1948, the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was set up to run the United States-financed Marshall Plan for reconstruction of a continent ravaged by war. By making individual governments recognise the interdependence of their economies, it paved the way for a new era of cooperation that was to change the face of Europe.

Encouraged by the OEEC's success, Canada and the United States carried its work forward on a global stage. OEEC members signed the new OECD Convention on 14 December 1960.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was officially born on 30 September 1961, when the Convention entered into force.

Our OECD material can be found using the main catalogue. Select 'Advanced search', change the 'Search Scope' from the default 'Everything' to 'Library collections', and use the 'Any field' option to search for the phrase 'Organisation for European Economic Cooperation'. You can also find recent material through the OECD iLibrary.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) began in 1948, as an output from the League of Nations' Health Committee and Health Section.

Details of our material relating to the WHO can be found using the main catalogue and on the World Health Organisation website.