DagDok celebrates 20 years – popular UN guide reaches milestone
DagDok logo
On UN Day, 24 October, the University Library marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of DagDok – the University Library's guide to the United Nations and UN documentation. Since its inception in 2005, DagDok has been an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand the work of the UN and easily find documentation.
Finding what you are looking for within the UN organisation can be a challenge. Uppsala University Library saw a need; there was a lack of clear guidance for those seeking information about the UN.
The UN – a complex organisation
The UN is a large organisation with several different bodies, all of which generate a large amount of documents every day. Finding UN documents and reports requires knowledge of the basic structure and processes of the UN organisation, which can be a challenge for users.
At the end of the 1990s, it was not easy to find information by Googling. A former colleague at the library saw the need for a guide to the UN organisation, its various parts and documentation. The idea of building a database with a web interface gradually emerged in parallel with her work and the development of the internet, says Katarina Hjortsäter, UN librarian at Uppsala University Library.
A relevant and sought-after 20-year-old
Just two years after DagDok was launched, the guide became so popular that the UN headquarters in New York requested an English version, which was launched in 2007.
The UN organisation now has databases and digitally published documents, and the various UN bodies have content-rich websites, but DagDok still fulfils an important function as a source of information and guide. It is widely used by students and researchers at universities and colleges, but also by secondary school students and those with a general interest in society.
DagDok is a product of the University Library, which means that users can feel confident that the content is accurate and reliable, emphasises Katarina Hjortsäter.
What does a UN librarian do?
The UN librarian helps to find documents and information, both printed and digital. Uppsala University Library (Dag Hammarskjöld and the Law Library) has a large collection of printed UN documents, but sometimes documents need to be searched for elsewhere, concludes Katarina Hjortsäter.
Katarina Hjortsäter, UN librarian
