Numbers Beyond Borders.

The article rates intergovernmental information resources. Most researchers, and possibly many librarians, turn to government documents only when they need certain information: census data, Supreme Court rulings, or a passport application. Likewise, international intergovernmental documents (IGOs) typically drift into the research picture only when someone has a very specific document or agency in mind. The array of resources evaluated here makes it clear, however, that IGOs are researching, compiling data, and publishing reports, articles, studies, and statistics on, quite literally, everything in the world. It's equally clear that this material has the potential to make vitally important contributions to research projects that have little or nothing to do with governments, international politics, or the workings of international bodies. The ratings include include Global Development Finance (GDF) Online, LexisNexis Statistical: Index to International Statistics, SourceOECD, United Nations Common Database, UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade), World Bank e-Library and World Development Indicators (WDI) Online.