The UN depository libraries system: features of formation and development

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the development of the United Nations depository library system, analyze the strategy for transitioning to open access to documents, and the creation of the UN Digital Library. The research methodology is based on a systematic approach, logical and structural-functional analysis methods, and a historical approach. The scientific novelty lies in highlighting the main stages in the history of the development of the UN depository library system and the formation of the UN Digital Library, presented for the first time to the scientific and educational community of Ukraine. The research findings determine that the UN depository library system has undergone significant development, from collections of printed publications of UN institutions to the Digital Library and a dynamic network of modern electronic resources; the role of the Dag Hammarskjцld Library in reforming and developing the strategy for transitioning to open access to UN information resources and forming the UN Digital Library is outlined. The implementation of open access to UN publications has enabled a large number of users to find the necessary information, which has positively impacted the efficiency of their activities. Currently, there is a clear normative mandate for the UN: the governments of member states fund the activities of the UN, and the citizens of the world have the right to information produced by its institutions. UN publications support, among other things, issues of peace, human rights, education, culture, and environmental protection. The UN is concerned with ensuring open access to its content (including "paid publications"), actively cooperating with depository libraries as partners (not clients). The UN needs to maximize the capabilities of depository libraries to promote its own transformation process, as the experience and knowledge accumulated by depository libraries and their staff can make a significant contribution to the renewal of the organization's activities.

Keywords

• un depository libraries (undl), dag hammarskjцld library, un depository libraries development program, international relations, un digital library, united nations official document system (ods), open access to un digital resources.