Organization of American States

Locating official documents and other publications

 

Basic information

The Organization of American States (OAS) was established in 1948 by 21 nations of the hemisphere. Since its creation, the OAS has expanded to include all 35 independent countries of the Americas . Cuba remains a member, but its government has been excluded from participation since 1962. The four official languages of the OAS are English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Its predecessors are the International Bureau of the American Republics and the Pan American Union .

The OAS serves as a political forum for multilateral dialogue and action. In broad terms, its major concerns have been the promotion of democracy, human rights, security, trade, and development. Its impact has been most crucial on specific events or regional developments such as the Alliance for Progress, the Cuban Revolution, the Nicaraguan Revolution, and more recently, as mediator between political factions in Venezuela . The OAS is the umbrella and governing body for many inter-American committees and specialized organizations, including the Pan American Health Organization , the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights , and the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development .

For more details, go to the OAS webpage at http://www.oas.org

 

More about the OAS

For more information on the OAS, including its history and critical assessments, search Princeton University Library's Main Catalog and other online indexes and bibliographies such as International Political Science Abstracts , PAIS: Public Affairs Information Service , Hispanic American Periodicals Index, and the Handbook of Latin American Studies .

Many of the most important works written about the OAS can be identified by consulting the following two bibliographies. In both, titles are arranged by policy area or by event.

Sheinin, David . The Organization of American States . Oxford : ABC-CLIO, 1995.
Location: Firestone Call number : F1402 .S5 1995

Welch, Thomas L and René L. Gutiérrez. The Organization of American States: a bibliography . Washington , D.C. : Columbus Memorial Library, Organization of American States, 1990.
Location: Firestone Call number : KDZ1101 .W45 1990

 

OAS Official Documents

 Scope:

Not everything published by the OAS is considered an official document. Its official documents are only those published by its General Secretariat for the organization's deliberative organs that are then classified as part of the Official Records Series.

 Included: the minutes of the Permanent Council, resolutions of the General Assembly, committee reports, proceedings of the Inter-American conferences and meetings, final acts of specialized conferences, meeting agendas, the Annual Report of the Secretary General, statutes and regulations.

To gain a better notion of what may be included as official, it is advisable to study the OAS organizational structure. To do so, see: http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/structure.asp

Not included: confidential documents, promotional materials, reports, monographs, bulletins, and other publications outside of the categories described above.

 

Access to OAS Official Documents:

Microfiche:

OAS official documents are annually published and distributed on microfiche format. The microfiche is the only comprehensive source of OAS official documents.

· Princeton University Library only holds OAS official documents from 1948 to 1975 . They are located in Firestone Microforms Services, C Level under

Organization of American States. Documentos oficiales = Official records . Washington : Pan American Union. 1948-.Call number: MICROFICHE 133

· Bibliographic access : The only complete bibliography or guide of the OAS official documents is the Lista general de documentos . Subject access is provided by the Indice analítico . Even though these are two separate publications, PUL's copies are bound and shelved together in the Firestone Microforms Services reference area. Call number: F1402 .A169

· Document delivery : OAS documents not held by PUL may be obtained via Interlibrary Loan. The New York Public Library and the Librray of Congress are two of the libraries with complete collections of the microfiche set. Documents are also available for purchase directly from the OAS affiliated Columbus Memorial Library . For ordering instructions, see:

http://tlc.library.net/columbus/viewpage.asp?Position=80

 

Web access:

 Thousands of OAS publications (including official documents, reports, press releases, audiovisual materials, and other) may be found in the OAS home page:

http://www.oas.org

Even though this site is rich in documentation and may be sufficient for most purposes, the information it contains tends to be dispersed. Coverage of documents produced since 1998 is extensive, not comprehensive.

· Major documents such as the Annual Report of the Secretary General , resolutions and declarations, and treaties and conventions, can be rapidly located in the “Documents” section of the page:

http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/documents.asp

Many other documents and publications can be found in the “Publications” section or from sections within the web site developed by particular OAS units or divisions. Understanding the organizational structure is key for locating documents or publications on a particular subject or area. For a description of the OAS organizational structure, see: http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/structure.asp

· The OAS site is searchable . The OAS Search Form serves to locate documents on a particular subject or area. Only keyword searches are possible.

 

 Additional Access to OAS Publications

Many libraries, including Princeton University Library, have acquired and individually cataloged thousands of OAS Official documents and other publications (including monographs, serials and other print publications). Bibliographic access to those is available through:

 

 

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Fernando Acosta-Rodríguez
Princeton University Library