Instructions of a temporary nature, or which are subject to frequent change, are conveyed to the Secretariat by Administrative Circulars.

Depending on the area regulated and the issuing authority, there are two types of Administrative Circular:

1. Administrative Circulars on activity, finances and property
2. Administrative Circulars on personnel matters

Most of the bibliographies were established between 1960 and 1980 and are therefore neither complete nor up-to-date, but might still aid researchers as a starting point for older material.

Biographical files of staff members, experts, consultants, delegates etc. These biographical information do not claim to be complete in any way. They are more an arbitrary collection, updated on an irregular basis, which might be useful as additional information for researchers.

Series consists of typed or mimeographed manuscripts that, for the most part, have no annotations. They are arranged in order of volume and chapters.

Circular letters (CL) signed by the Director-General are addressed to the Governments of Member States or National Commissions for UNESCO in the course of official business. For example, they are used to inform the Governments, to solicit information from them and ask for their position on certain questions, to send invitations to conferences, to invite applications for higher posts in the Secretariat.

The Committee for the Revision of the IBI Convention (REVCO) was an ad hoc committee of the IBI General Assembly. The Committee was convoked when a new revision of the Convention was being discussed. The subseries in particular contains examples of possible revisions to the Convention and to the internal regulations of the Organization since its creation. The subseries consists only of working documents from the Committee’s work in the 1980s.

Series consists of publications of the Communication and Information Sector and its predecessors.

Series contains documents on conferences organized by the Arab Region Department.

The Consultative Programme and Budget Committee was created by the 53rd Session of the IBI Executive Council. It held its first meetings on 27-28 February 1986 in Rome. The purpose of the Committee was to analyze proposals for programme activities and the budgets submitted by the Director-General for the years 1987-1988 and then to make recommendations based on its analysis to the Executive Council. The series mostly contains documents and correspondence exchanged by members of the Committee around the time of its meetings.

The Consultative Scientific Committee was created by a decision at the 13th Session of the General Assembly of the IBI as part of a larger initiative of reflection on the Organization, its present situation and its future prospects. The Scientific Committee was proposed as a supporting body to IBI programme activities which would meet every two years to study and propose state of the art technologies and their use for the socio-economic and cultural development of member states.

The series consists of correspondence about the Committee exchanged between 8 January to 2 February 1987. One of its sessions seems to have been held on 20-21 January 1987. Any possible official documents from these meetings are missing.

Series consists of correspondence files arranged into thirteen subseries. The original order and numbering scheme were maintained.

Series consists of correspondence files from the CAME Secretariat which was based at the British Council. The series is arranged into two subseries: CAME Secretariat files (with a British Council filing scheme) and CAME Science Commission files (with a different numeric classification scheme).

Documents concerning diverse projects and countries under the responsibility of the office

Publications of the Culture Sector and its predecessors.

Series consists of files on departments and sectors of UNESCO as created during the tenure of Directors-General Maheu and Matsuura. Files primarily contain memoranda exchanged between the Director-General and the Assistant Director-General or Director of the unit concerned. Files are arranged in rough alphabetical order by unit acronym.

Series consists of out-going letters, memoranda, telexes and telegrammes signed by the Director-General. They are roughly in chronological order with some later files also being organized by Sector or Department.

Files consists of outgoing letters, notes and memoranda signed by the Director or Assistant-Director General of the Office of the Director-General.

Wide range of subjects and types

The Sub-fonds includes the records of the Division of Freedom of Expression, Democracy and Peace and its antecessors, part of the Information and Communication Sector of UNESCO, of all projects and programmes of CI/FED and of the numerous committees, boards, and commissions related to CI/FED whose records were/are the responsibility of UNESCO.

Series consists of files transferred directly from the Division for Human Settlements and the Socio-Cultural Environment (SHS/ENV) and its successor the Division of Population and Human Settlements (SHS/POP). Files cover programme activities on rural and urban habitat, reconstruction, quality of life and human ecology. Activities include missions, training programmes and division contributions to conferences such as the 1982 World Conference on Cultural Policies (Mondiacult). Files contain general correspondence, internal memoranda and final documents. They are in no particular order.

Series consists of the files of the SHS Division of Human Rights and Peace (HRS) as well as some files from its successor unit. The files date from the creation of HRS to the mid-1990s. The files cover programme activities such as the production of publications and studies, the organization of meetings, and the coordination of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. There are also two specific subseries: a subseries of correspondence files (COR) organized by year or by staff member; and a subseries of files (PP) on the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education .

Series consists of documentation files with newspaper clippings, typed speeches and other printed or published material gathered by the Comité to document a subject. The series does however extend to 1939, after the Comité was officially dissolved. It seems then that the staff of the Institute continued to add to the series in 1939. It is arranged into five subseries according to the original alpha-numeric classification scheme.

All official UNESCO Documents produced by the Director General of UNESCO.

Series consists of legal instruments or other documents generated when UNESCO received a donation of property. It does not include instruments related to gifts of art (with the exception of photograph C/9) or smaller regular donations of books, objects and equipment. The files are arranged in order of the reference code given upon registration in the Archives and are, therefore, roughly in chronological order.

Concerns the campaign for the safeguarding of Florence, launched after the flood of 1966.

Publications of the Education Sector and its predecessors

Series consists of files of the ODG generated from the Private Meetings of the Executive Board. Senior posts are discussed at such meetings, including matters such as nominations, appointments, extensions of contracts, salaries, and the structure of the secretariat. The files consists of PRIV documents issued from the meetings (open for consultation after 20 years in another series), as well as notes and internal memoranda circulated between members of the Directorate. Series begins at the 70th Session of the Executive Board (1965) and ends at the 155th Session (1998).

Series consists of an incomplete set of transcripts and audio-recordings from the sessions of the Executive Council. Of the 57 ordinary sessions and 4 extraordinary sessions, there are only records from 29 sessions in this series.

The IBI Executive Council met for 57 ordinary sessions and 4 extraordinary sessions. The series consists of an incomplete set of files on the sessions, containing the Council's decision and reports on the programme activities and finances of the Organization. The series starts at the 18th Session. Information on prior sessions can be found in the reference documents of the office of the Director-General of the IBI (series IBI/5/1/1).

Series consists of correspondence exchanged between the Department and member states and different organizations.

The External Relations service in the Cabinet of the Director-General was responsible for maintaining relations with member countries, non-member countries and organizations operating in the field of informatics (with or without formal cooperation agreements with the Organization). The service kept up-to-date information on the IBI's relations with these actors as well as reports on shared activities. The files consist primarily of correspondence exchanged between the IBI and the country or organization. Beyond letters, telegrams and telexes, the files include reports, brochures, and copies of agreements. The series has been arranged into three subseries:
-IBI/6/1/1 Governmental organization files
-IBI/6/1/2 Non-governmental organization files
-IBI/6/1/3 Country files

Series consists of fellowship files created by the Division of Training Abroad. It is arranged roughly in chronological order. Files contain applications to the programme and administrative correspondence. They are often very slight (3-5 documents), but can also have final reports and more substantive correspondence.

All works published directly by UNESCO Field Offices

281.32 linear metres of textual records

The General Assembly met for 13 ordinary sessions and 6 extraordinary sessions. The documents include information on: decisions made at each session; financial reports; and, reports on the activities and budget of the Organization. Records from the 8th session of the General Assembly are missing from the series.

Series consists of ODG files on the Hammarskjold Commission - an independent body commissioned to advise the Director-General on ways and means of improving staff efficiency and management in the UNESCO Secretariat. The files are in original order.

Series consists of the correspondence files of the IICI. They are arranged in their original order according to an alpha-numeric classification scheme.

Series consists of official documents of the IICI, the International Museums Office and the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation. The original order has been maintained; documents are organized roughly in alpha-numeric order or in alphabetical order according to document code.

Series consists of IICI account books and financial registers arranged into thirty-six volumes.

Series consists of publications (periodicals, volumes, and series or collections) that IICI issued during its existence.

The IBI Documentation Centre maintained a library of material related to informatics or information technologies. The material was organized according to thematic groupings which were assigned a classification code. The series has three subseries, including one on the history of the organization from its creation to the 1980s entitled "Histoire de l'IBI."

The series includes the records of the Information Society Division (CI/INF). Files include records on the Division's projects and programmes, and on the work of numerous related committees, boards, and commissions.

Series primarily consists of legal instruments signed between UNESCO and member states, including state agencies and corporations. Instruments include co-operation agreements, host-country agreements, funds-in-trust agreements and plans of operation. UNESCO agreements signed with local governments are also filed in this series. The series also contains agreements signed between UNESCO and international, regional or other multilateral organizations as well as all multilateral conventions and recommendations adopted by the General Conference or other intergovernmental conferences which designated UNESCO as a depository. United Nations University (UNU), University for Peace (UPEACE) and World Maritime University (WMU) agreements are filed in this series, but other agreements signed with universities, including state universities, can be found in series B. UNITWIN agreements may be filed in this series or series B. Instruments are given a reference code and registered upon receipt in the Archives and are therefore in rough chronological order.

The series consists of legal instruments signed between UNESCO and non-governmental organizations, universities, foundations, private companies, or individuals. The series includes state universities and academies, but not research institutes with reporting relations to branches of government. United Nations University (UNU), University for Peace (UPEACE) and World Maritime University (WMU) agreements are filed under series A as they were established by the UN system. All UNESCO Chair agreements are filed in this series, but UNITWIN agreements may be found in series A or B. The Archives staff also used this series at first to register special documents or objects of intrinsic value, such as medals, emblems, speeches, recordings, and stamps. The series further contains subseries of agreements for the safeguarding campaigns. Agreements are arranged in order of the reference code given upon registration in the Archives and are, therefore, roughly in chronological order.

Works compiled and published byUNESCO in cooperation with other institutions

The rules on what is to be considered as a Main documents have changed throughout UNESCO’s existence. According to the definition giving in the UNESCO Manual, Secretariat handbook on administrative methods and precedures, main documents are:
Main series documents are mostly programme documents of a definitive nature which are distributed to all Member States. They include i.a. reports of meetings, surveys, analysis of replies to questionnaires and bibliographical and clearing house material.

Maps, posters and similar material produced and published by UNESCO

Mission reports and memoranda destined for the Cabinet or the Director-General were centralized in the Cabinet of the Director-General. The series consists of reports and memoranda for the years 1984-1986. Other years are missing.

Series consists of documents relating to the cooperation activities at a national level between the Department and different states. The countries concerned are: Egypt, Lebanon, Kuweit, Saudi Arabi, Tunisia, Syria, Oman, and Qatar.

Publications of the Natural Science Sector and its predecessors

Series consists of works compiled and published by non-governmental organizations which were either in receipt of specific funding from UNESCO, as well as those publications from NGOs which had official relations with UNESCO and were exchanging information based on the conditions of this relationship.

Series consists of subject files of the Director-General on diverse matters. The first transfer dates from the tenure of René Maheu, however, records in some files date from before this time. Each transfer is arranged in rough alphabetical order and thus the series as a whole is arranged in a repeating alphabetical order. In general, the files were transferred at the end of a Director-General's term in office. Files contain correspondence, speeches, reports, and handwritten notes.

Series consists of the correspondence files of the OIM. It is arranged into thirteen sub-series, organized according to the original alpha-numeric classification system.

Subseries consists of original correspondence between IBI management and both internal and external correspondents. Correspondence prior to 1982 is missing. After 1982, the files appear to be complete up until 29 March 1988.

Subseries consists of outgoing mail as registered by the Secretariat of the Director General. The series is incomplete. Files prior to 1985 are missing except for one dating from 1983. There are small gaps in files from the beginning of 1985; however, files from that point onwards to 1988 are more complete.

Periodicals published directly by UNESCO

Series consists of files from the Population Division (SHS/POP) and the Division of Population and Human Settlements (SHS/POP). The files mostly pertain to programme activities in the fields of urbanization, architecture, family planning and population. Activities include the execution of UNFPA and Participation Programme projects, as well as information dissemination and training. Files are in no particular order.

Series consists of official Preparatory Commission documents issued under codes corresponding to the creating committee or sub-committee.