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United Nations and International Documents Collections

The United Nations and International Documents Collection at Bobst Library is a full depository library for UN documents since 1949.

Access Information

Appointments are required for external researchers:

  • You may request an appointment by reaching out via Ask a Librarian (select "Government Information" under "Subject").
  • Appointments are generally available between 10AM and 4PM, Monday through Thursday.
  • Please reach out to us to schedule an appointment at least 2 weeks in advance of your visit.
  • Please consult the library catalog to ensure that the documents you are interested in viewing are housed on-site in Bobst Library (not in offsite storage).
  • Be sure to bring a valid government-issued photo ID and proof of appointment to be permitted entry on the day of your confirmed visit.

Location and hours:

  • The UN Documents Collection is located on the west side of the 6th floor in Bobst Library.
  • The documents collections are open to NYU users whenever the stacks are open (see Library Hours).

For individuals who cannot visit Bobst Library:

  • Please request any documents you would like to consult via your public library or home organization's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service. ILL is the international standard for accessing materials at libraries you cannot physically visit. (Please note that fragile materials cannot be loaned.)

The UN Documents Collection is located on the 6th floor of Bobst Library. Once you exit the elevators, head left, towards the west side of the floor.

Map to the Government Documents collection.

What are indexes?

You can use UN indexes to find appropriate document symbols for official UN documents. 

What are document symbols?

In Bobst Library, official UN documents are arranged by official document symbols, which consist of a combination of letters and numbers with each element separated from the next by a stroke (/). For example: A/52/100 is a General Assembly document from the fifty-second session. For more information on how to read official documents symbols go to the UN Documents Research Guide.

Can I find everything in the Catalog?

No. There are uncatalogued material physically present in the collection.  Users may go up to the collection to search for an item if they are not finding it in search.library.nyu.edu 

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