LibGuides: Global Development and the Power of Information: Government and IGO Resources

Governmental Resources

The governments of the world do a lot of publishing related to policy areas. In the United States there are laws, hearings, regulations, and policy speeches that are made freely available to the world. The University Library is a depository for U.S. government documents and has a huge collection going back to the founding of our nation. You can search for specific titles through the online catalog or for more current items you can go to the following electronic resources.

GPOAccess
This site leads to free public access to full-text, official Federal information; Federal information finding aids and much more. Information is broken up into the three branches of government - legislative, executive, and judicial. You can find everything from Congressional bills to State of the Union speeches to the Supreme Court website.
THOMAS
A website supported by the Library of Congress is a wealth of information about this branch of government and provides direct access to the Congressional Record, Presidential Nominations, and much, much more.
Presidential Speeches
A resource from the University of Virginia, this list provides speeches for all American presidents.
Vital Speeches of the Day
The resource contains speeches by the President and many, many other politicians and major figures. The resource extends back to 1931 for an historical perspective.

Intergovernental Organizations (IGOs)

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) are bodies that promote voluntary cooperation in and among their members, or coordination between these members. The membership is comprised of sovereign states and these states remain autonomous. Examples of these are listed below and many of these organizations provide helpful reports and statistics related to the study of globalization.

United Nations
As you will see if you choose this link, the United Nations provides a wide variety of information about itself and its constituent units. Choose any of the headings such as Peace and Security, Economic and Social Development, Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs, or International Law to find information in these distinct areas. Most of these links provide a section on documents and research guides to help you learn more about this organization and the work that it does.

AccessUN This link opens in a new window
This is an index to the UN microfiche/microprint collection that includes documents, Official Records, periodicals, periodical articles, and sales publications of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and the Secretariat.

UN-I-QUE
This is a database created by the United Nations/Specialized Agencies Reference Desk of the Dag Hammarskjold Library in response to frequently asked questions. It emphasizes access to special documents that are sold by the UN.