With a free State Library Victoria membership you can access hundreds of databases from home (if your home is in Victoria). That’s millions of articles, magazines, archives, ebooks, videos, songs, audiobooks and more, available through the catalogue anytime. We’re taking a closer look at new and/or interesting databases as well as hidden gems from our collections. Read on for top picks and tips from Librarians.
Not a member yet? Sign up online first and reward your curiosity.
Today we’re looking at the OECD iLibrary. The iLibrary contains thousands of documents of all different types – books, journals, working papers, articles, datasets. These range from in-depth current publications back to items from the initial establishment of the OECD and even to its’ predecessor the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation.
It is a vast collection of high level research into all aspects of policy making across all the areas that effect daily lives and future decision making.
History
In the aftermath of the devastation of World War 2, United States Secretary of State George Marshall developed a plan for the economic reconstruction and recovery of Europe. This was the Marshall Plan or officially the European Recovery Programme. 1
The Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) was established in April 1948 to administer the plan.
In September 1961 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) superceded the OEEC and Canada and the United States joined the existing European members. Since then membership has expanded to 38 countries. See this map for a full list of countries and their year of entry.
Australia joined in 1971 and the current Secretary-General is former Australian Federal Finance Minister Mathias Corman.
For some of the pre-history see these items from the OECD iLibrary:
- Explorations in OEEC History which outlines major events in the history of the OECD‘s predecessor
- The Marshall Plan: Lessons Learned for the 21st Century which examines the historical, diplomatic, economic, and strategic aspects of the European Recovery Program (ERP)
Headquartered in Paris, at the magnificent Château de la Muette, the OECD is primarily a research organisation producing a vast amount of in-depth analysis to facilitate policies that improve economic and social well-being across the globe.
The OECD iLibrary gives access to so much of this research.
Château de la Muette, Paris. Headquarters of the OECD. (Creative Commons TICTeC 2019: OECD in Paris) For more see A History of the Château de la Muette at the OECD iLibrary
Searching
Formerly a subscription library, as of 1 July 2024 all the content has become freely available under an open licence, ‘allowing users to freely use, translate, and share the Organisation’s work’.
OECD iLibary interface including navigation options such as Browse by theme
Searches can be done under themes, by country, or by matching a country with a theme. The Advanced search does allow for quite sophisticated searching.
What makes this database so great?
The database has reports relevant to countries across the world and includes items as diverse as:
- The Regulation of Lobbying and Influence in Chile: Recommendations for Strengthening Transparency and Integrity in Decision Making
- Making Dispute Resolution More Effective
- Nature-based solutions for flood management in Asia and the Pacific
Material from the predecessor of the OECD – the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) – can also be accessed. For example:
- First Report of the activities of the conference 1954 European Conference of Ministers of Transport
You can compare annual surveys over many years – for example the OECD Economic Surveys which are published annually. The more recent reports cover many countries but the reports of the original member countries go back to 1962, all available online as downloadable PDFs.
Various publications from the OECDiLibrary. Click on the image to go to the publication.
We hope you enjoy exploring the OECDiLibrary.
We always welcome your recommendations for database trials – let us know what you’d like to see. Have a research query or questions on how to use our online collections? Ask a Librarian.
More to explore
Check out our latest databases on trial, and see a full list of all new and trial databases, by visiting our A-Z Databases page.
References
- George Marshall was awarded the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
