Anecdotal evidence suggests that dissatisfaction with the United Nations Classification Scheme (UNCS), a notational system in continuous use since 1946, has been widespread among researchers and government information specialists. Through the examination of over fourteen thousand document symbols assigned over the course of a year, this study identifies flaws in the notation that have limited its effectiveness. The criteria for this evaluation, which are drawn from both archival and library classification literature, include simplicity, the appropriate use of mnemonics, brevity, serial piece collocation, and the appropriate representation of administrative origin. The author concludes that the scheme satisfies none of these criteria consistently, due in part to the lack of centralized control over its development, and offers recommendations for correcting its defects.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to help reference librarians in academic institutions to more effectively use UN information resources to meet users' needs. Design/methodology/approach -This paper outlines the United Nations' structure, addresses the effects of misconceptions regarding the organization's boundaries, describes the categories of UN information resources and their most useful content, identifies and evaluates the most important reference tools by or about the UN, and casts light on little-known obstacles to intellectual access in the UN information environment. Findings -Access to UN information is often hindered by the idiosyncrasies of UN documents and their records, misconceptions about the United Nations' relationships with other organizations, and a lack of in-depth information about UN reference sources. The effects of these problems can be ameliorated, however, through the information, techniques, and strategies presented here. Originality/value -This article identifies and evaluates the UN reference sources of greatest use to general reference librarians. This is the first publication to demonstrate how indexing policies and common characteristics of UN documents impede access to UN information and to show how these barriers can be circumvented.
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