LIBRARIES IN BAHRAIN, CHINA, GEORGIA, MEXICO AND UNITED STATES DESIGNATED UNITED NATIONS DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES

LIBRARIES IN BAHRAIN, CHINA, GEORGIA, MEXICO AND UNITED STATES

DESIGNATED UNITED NATIONS DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES

Five libraries, located in Bahrain, China, Georgia, Mexico and the United States, have been designated United Nations depository libraries, becoming part of an international network of 391 libraries in 145 countries and territories that bring United Nations documents and publications to users around the world.  They are the University of Bahrain (Sakhir), Zhejiang Provincial Library (Hangzhou), the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia (Tbilisi), the University of Guadalajara (Zapopan) and Florida International University (Miami).

The University of Bahrain was established in 1986 through the merger of two institutions, the University College of Arts, Science and Education and Gulf Polytechnic.  The library system of the University of Bahrain serves

15,000 students as well as users from the community.  With a staff of

fourteen professional librarians, the system maintains holdings of more than

110,000 volumes and subscribes to a number of full text databases and electronic journals.  The United Nations deposit, which is located at the University’s Sakhir campus, includes online access to the full text of parliamentary documents and printed publications and Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) masthead documents in Arabic and English.

Zhejiang Provincial Library, which last year celebrated the centennial of its founding in 1900, is the oldest public library in China.  It serves the residents of Zhejiang Province (44 million), including seventeen universities located in the area and about 5,000 readers per day use its facilities.  With a staff of 150 professional librarians, the library maintains holdings of more than four million volumes of monographs and other materials, of which over

300,000 items are in foreign languages.  User requests are met through a fully computerized retrieval system and circulation service.  Two librarians are assigned to manage the deposit, which consists of online access to the full text of parliamentary documents, printed publications in Chinese and English as well as Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) masthead documents.

The National Parliamentary Library of Georgia becomes the first United Nations depository library in the country.  The former State Public Library of Georgia, established in 1846, is located in the nation’s capital, Tbilisi.  With a staff of close to 500, the library maintains holdings of more than 15 million

items and serves over 1,000 users each day.  The National Parliamentary Library of Georgia is currently a depository for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Bank and United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) publications.  Three staff members manage the United Nations deposit, which includes online access to the full text of parliamentary documents and printed publications in English and Russian.

The Information Resources Centre (CERI) of the Economic and Administrative Sciences Campus (CUCEA) of the University of Guadalajara becomes the fourth United Nations depository library in Mexico.  CUCEA, established in 1994, is one of twelve university campuses throughout the State of Jalisco.  Located in the town of Zapopan, near Guadalajara, CERI provides library services to about

12,000 students.  The CERI library, inaugurated in September 2000, currently holds about 57,000 items and subscribes to about 350 serial titles.  The United Nations deposit includes online access to the full text of parliamentary documents and printed publications in English and Spanish as well as Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) masthead documents.

Florida International University (FIU), established in 1965, serves more than 31,000 students from the United States and 110 foreign countries.  The University has a successful Model United Nations Programme and offers Model United Nations sessions each spring term to graduate and undergraduate students in all academic disciplines.  FIU’s Green Library, whose recent major expansion ranks it as one of the largest library facilities in the southeast, has holdings of over 1,400,000 volumes and 9,000 journal subscriptions, including 2,000 journals in electronic full text and access to 250 databases.  The library, with a seating capacity of over 2000, serves not only the university community but is also open to residents of the city, region and state.  The United Nations deposit, which is maintained by five staff members, consists of printed publications and masthead documents in English.

     Since 1946, the Dag Hammarskj`ld Library at United Nations Headquarters in New York, which is part of the Department of Public Information (DPI), has arranged for the distribution of United Nations documents and publications to users around the world through its depository library system.  At present, there are 391 United Nations depository libraries: 55 are located in Africa, 93 in Asia and the Pacific, 18 in Western Asia, 35 in Eastern Europe, 85 in Western Europe, 49 in Latin America and the Caribbean and 56 in North America.  These libraries receive United Nations materials, with the understanding that their collections will be maintained in good order and made available to the general public free of charge.

United Nations Member States, as well as non-members, are entitled to one free depository, usually the national library in the capital city.  In addition, the national parliamentary library, if open to the public, is also entitled to receive material free of charge.  Other depository libraries pay a token annual contribution to receive United Nations documentation.  Developing countries pay a significantly smaller amount than developed countries.

The designation of depositories is carried out by the United Nations Publications Board.  The degree of development of the requesting libraries and the overall geographic distribution of depository libraries in the countries concerned are among the criteria used.

United Nations professional librarians and information officers make periodic visits to depository libraries to provide assistance and training in the management of the United Nations collection.  In addition, special training seminars for depository librarians are periodically organized by the

Dag Hammarskj`ld Library in New York and by the Library of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

* *** *