International Documents Collection

The Organization of American States and Pan American Union collection:

Since the late 19th Century, Gov Info has collected the documents and publications of the Organization of American States (OAS) and its predecessor organizations. In 1962 the Department became a depository library of the OAS. The Department welcomes members of the Northwestern community and the public. Research assistance is provided in person at the Department's reference desk, by phone at +1-847-491-3130, via e-mail at govinfo@northwestern.edu.

Organization of American States and Pan American Union documents and publications at Northwestern University Library

Documents

• The OAS has digitized many documents (historical and current), annual reports, treaties, speeches, resolutions and decisions that are available on their Documents page.
• For a list of documents in the Department, see the List of OAS Official Documents
• Official Documents are not cataloged in NUcat.
• See also

  Classification Manual for the OAS Official Records Series [complete list of documents series], call number Govt. Ref. 025.4 O68c

  Analytical Index of Resolutions and Declarations of the General Assembly 1970-1997, call number Govt. Ref. 341.245 O683
  

  List of Resolutions and Declarations Approved by the General Assembly in Its Regular and Special Sessions 1970-1999, call number Govt. Ref. 341.245 O683lx

  The Organization of American States: A Bibliography (1990), call number MAIN Reference 016.34124 O68w

Publications

• For uncataloged publications in the Department, see the Finding aid to early 20th Century publications of the Pan American Union and Organization of American States
• OAS publications have been cataloged in Nucat since the mid-1980s. Some older publications have been cataloged.
• Cataloged publications have Dewey Decimal call numbers and are integrated into the Department's collections.
• With the exception of publications that are "non-circulating," patrons may check out materials cataloged in NUcat or request them through Interlibrary Loan.

About the Organization of American States

The web site of the Organization of American States is http://www.oas.org.

The Organization of American States is the oldest regional intergovernmental organization. The International Union of American Republics was established at the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington D.C. from 1889-1890. In 1910 the International Union became the Pan American Union. In 1948, twenty-one countries signed the Charter of the Organization of American States, and the Pan American Union became the Organization of American States (OAS).

The thirty-five permanent missions to the OAS, and the dates in which they ratified the Charter, are Antigua and Barbuda (1981), Argentina (1948), The Commonwealth of the Bahamas (1982), Barbados (1967), Belize (1991), Bolivia (1948), Brazil (1948), Canada (1990), Chile (1948), Colombia (1948), Costa Rica (1948), Cuba (1948), The Commonwealth of Dominica (1979), Dominican Republic (1948), Ecuador (1948), El Salvador (1948), Grenada (1975), Guatemala (1948), Guyana (1991), Haiti (1948), Honduras (1948), Jamaica (1969), Mexico (1948), Nicaragua (1948), Panama (1948), Paraguay (1948), Peru (1948), Saint Kitts and Nevis (1984), Saint Lucia (1979), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1981), Suriname (1977), Trinidad and Tobago (1967), United States of America (1948), Uruguay (1948), and Venezuela (1948). Images taken from Pan America in Poster Stamps located in Box 1. Last updated: 07.17.07