The Depository Collection is extensive and covers all types of publications of the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), and other government organizations. The collection has about 15 000 documents in the open access and 2500 in closed stacks, available in three languages: Arabic, English, and French. Open access Depository Collections are available in the main library at the F2 level and are used freely by the users.
Depository collection subject coverage:
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Living standards
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Narcotic drugs
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Peace
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Peaceful uses of atomic energy
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Population
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Poverty
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Press freedom and communication
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Protection of cultural heritage
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Refugees
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Safety of air & marine transport
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Security
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Self-government
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Statistics
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Status of women
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Sustainable economic growth
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Telecommunications
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Terrorism
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Working conditions and employment opportunities
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Consolidation of new
democracies
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Crime prevention
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Development (economic, social & cultural)
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Disarmament
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Education
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Environment ( acid rain , climate change, marine pollution)
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Financial stability
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Food security
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Globalization
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Health
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Human rights
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Industrial advancement
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Intellectual property (copyrights, trademarks, industrial designs and patents)
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International law
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International monetary cooperation
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Printed materials are classified by the BA according to the DDC and are searchable through the BA online catalog (OPAC). The print collection contains books, references (yearbooks, annual reports, atlases, guides) which give accurate statistical information and state of the art of a theme, and periodicals (about 100 periodicals’ titles masthead and print documents organized in a special section).
Some instructions for the users:
To search for print materials, go to BA Catalog
To find a book on the shelf you must indicate:
- The classification number
- The name of the organization
- The call number of the depository collection consists of the abbreviation of the organization and the Dewey number classification.
- The UN document number and/or the sales number are searchable on the OPAC.
Photocopying is permitted to 20% of the document. For more assistance, users can consult the depository librarian at the F2 reference desk.
NOTE: Special Shelving
- Periodicals are organized alphabetically.
- References and books of the specialized agencies and the UN entities are organized by name of organization and the Dewey Decimal Classification/Cutter system used in the entire library.
- References (e.g. yearbooks, annual reports) come first on stand, then common publications.
- Users can
obtain
Organization stand number from the F2 information desk.
Multimedia materials and audiovisual documents including; CD-ROMs, floppy disks, DVDs and videos; represent important items in the depository collection received from different organizations.
The Multimedia Collection is also searchable on the OPAC and can be requested from the F2 information desk. Researchers can have access to databases on CDs from a stand alone computer in F2 under the supervision of the reference librarian. Users can acquire print versions with fees. Each user is limited to 30 minutes if others are waiting.
In compliance with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina objective, to continue being a leading institute of the digital age, the depository library provides public access to a number of UN electronic databases available on all the terminals in the reading area in the electronic resources page. Through the depository library electronic resources; users are able to access, download, and print up-to-date statistical information and full text reports.
Databases provide statistical information regarding all countries of the world, e-books, and UN official documents.
List of available electronic databases:
The United Nations Treaty Collection:
The United Nations Treaty Collection provides multiple databases that either index or search the complete collection of bilateral and multilateral Treaties registered with and published by the office of the UN Secretary-General.
The Official Document System of the United Nations:
ODS covers all types of official United Nations documentation, beginning in 1993. ODS also provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards. The documents and official records are stored in the official languages of the United Nations.
The World Bank e-Library:
World Bank E-Library allows users to access the World Bank Publication's entire output since the beginning of April 2000 plus all new documents. The WB e-library is an electronic portal to the World Bank's full-text collection of books, reports, and other documents , which contains over 3500 items.
The World Development Indicators online:
The WDI is the World Bank's comprehensive database on global economy from 1960 till the present. Data includes social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environmental indicators. Results can be scaled, indexed against a particular year, viewed by percentage change, and charted.
The Global Development Finance online:
Global Development Finance is the World Bank’s annual assessment of global financial conditions facing emerging markets. The database covers external debt stocks and flows, debt restructuring, and scheduled debt service projections since1970 till 2013. Results can be scaled, indexed against a particular year, viewed by percentage change, and charted.
United Nations Statistical Databases:
This Database provide statistical information, reports regarding commercial goods, exports and imports for more than 140 country in addition to other regular economic and social statistics, example: Monthly Statistics Review, UN Common Database online, Commodity Price Bulletin and UN Comtrade.
The official records are shelved in the closed stacks by the known UN document number (organ and session/year). Accesses to the imprint version volumes are available upon users’ demand in exchange for the users’ ID card. Photocopying is permitted. The electronic version is available on United Nations Bibliographic Information System (UNBISNET) and Official Document System (ODS) database.
Official records, always identified as such on the title page, constitute the primary documents submitted to or issued by major UN organs at a given session or during a particular year. They consist of meeting records; resolutions; reports of major organs, committees and commissions as well as the budget and financial reports. Official Records are also produced for some of the major conferences (e.g., United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court). This collection is listed by document symbol in the closed stacks.