The Dag Hammarskjold Library is a special library designated to facilitate the work of the United Nations. The Library was dedicated on Nov. 16, 1961 in honor of the late secretary-general. Dag Hammarskjold served as secretary-general of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961. As a memorial to Hammarskjold, who died in 1961 while on official travel, the library was established through a gift from the Ford Foundation.
The Dag Hammarskjold Library adjoins the Secretariat at the southwest corner of the UN headquarters site. Due to security constraints in place at the UN headquarters complex, the library is not open to the general public. However, the vast majority of recent documentation is available to everyone electronically at www.un.org/depts/dhl.
The library has an archival collection of UN documents and publications, a strong League of Nations collection and a selective collection of specialized agency materials. The focus of its non-UN collection is in the areas of the work program of the General Assembly and the Security Council: Disarmament, economic and social affairs, human rights, humanitarian affairs, international law, international relations, peace and security and peacekeeping. The library also has a special collection of maps and other cartographic materials and an extensive collection of statistical material.
Part of the mission of the library is community outreach and in that regard it participates in disseminating information about special events and dates in the UN’s calendar. Two upcoming dates are of special importance to the nations of the Middle East. On Nov. 16, the member states of the UN will participate in the International Day of Tolerance. Later, on Nov. 29, the UN General Assembly will observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.
