Finding Aids: Congressional Publications Finding Aid (Rutgers University Libraries)

Mary Fetzer
Government Resources Librarian
August 1, 2005
fetzer@rci.rutgers.edu

Research Resources: Subject Research Guides: Government Information Resources:
Congressional Publications Finding Aid

Alexander Library - Rutgers University
Government Publications - Guide 5

Alexander Library's Government Publications collection has a wealth of Congressional materials which date back to the Annals of Congress for 1789. Some materials are in paper; still others are in microfilm, microfiche, or microprint. Format is often dependent on how the government distributed material at a given time, or, in some instances, on the format in which materials were available for purchase. Many sources have come through the depository program; others have been commercially purchased to supplement that which the government did not distribute. This guide is an effort to simplify your search for materials by indicating formats and locations.

Increasingly, especially since the 103^d Congress, materials are available online via GPO Access (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/) or through THOMAS at http://thomas.loc.gov. Earlier Congressional reports, documents, and journals will gradually be added to the U.S. Congressional Serial Set Digital Edition which the Libraries have purchased and which is available under Research Resources/Indexes & Databases on the Libraries' home page. Segments are continually being added to the digital edition to extend coverage to 1980 eventually. The American State Papers will be available soon under Indexes and Databases.

Proceedings of Congress
House and Senate Bills
House and Senate Documents
House and Senate Reports
Senate Executive Documents and Reports
Senate Treaty Documents
House and Senate Committee Prints
House and Senate Committee Hearings
Journals of Congress
Laws
Guides to the Literature
Indexes and Guides for Locating Congressional Materials

Proceedings Of Congress

Annals of Congress,1^st - 18^th:1 (1789-1824)
Register of Debates, 18^th:2 - 25^th (1824-1837)
Congressional Globe, 23^rd - 42^nd (1833-1873)
Congressional Record, 42^nd - to date (1873 to date)
Congressional Record, 103^d - to date (1994 to date), see GPO Access

The above titles are held in paper and are located in Government Publications stack 36-38. Alexander Library receives the current daily edition in paper. Beginning with the 104^th Congress, the bound permanent edition is held only in microfiche filed in GPO fiche cabinets near stack 47 under X. The Library of Congress' American Memory Project includes A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation 1774-1875 which contains the Annals, the Register of Debates, and the Congressional Globe. See http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html

House and Senate Bills

1^st - 70^th Congress: Microfilm; Cabinet No. 20 near stack 1.

71^st - 95^th: Alexander does not own the bills. On occasion, the text of a bill may be found at the beginning of a hearing or in the Congressional Record.

96^th: Microfiche; GPO fiche cabinet. House bills are filed under SuDocs X96-Sess.#:H.R.#; Senate as X96:Sess.#:S#.

97^th - 106^th: Microfiche; GPO fiche cabinet. House bills are filed under SuDocs Y1.4/6:; Senate bills under Y1.4/1:.

103^rd - date: Online; http://www.gpoaccess.gov/bills/index.html

To obtain the fiche number on which a bill from the 96^th - 106^th Congress appears, consult the Cumulative Finding Aid shelved in DOCREF US GP3.28.

House and Senate Documents

For the 1^st - 14^th Congress, consult American State Papers; a paper edition is shelved in stack 35. From the 15^th to the 62^nd Congress, use the U.S. Serial Set collection on microprint shelved in stack 96. If a serial number is not known, see tables in the Checklist ... 1789-1909 (DOCREF US GP3.14) or other reference tools to obtain one. For possible online access, see the U.S. Serial Set Digital Edition. (See page 1 of this guide).

62^nd Congress (House) - current: Paper; Stack 31

62^nd Congress (Senate) - current: Paper; Stack 33-34

Exceptions (please note):

96^th Congress (House & Senate) are in paper, but also in microfiche in GPO fiche cabinets filed for House as X96-Sess.#:H.Doc.# and for Senate as X96-Sess.#:S.Doc.#.

97^th - 98:1^st Congress (House & Senate) are in paper, but also in microfiche in GPO fiche cabinets filed for House as Y1.1/7: and for Senate as Y1.1/3:.

While the slip version of most current House and Senate Documents are available in paper, GPO was unable to supply selected ones and substituted microfiche in the exceptions noted above. Also, several titles of reference value are shelved in the DOCREF US Y1: section in range 101. House and Senate Documents beginning with the 104^th Congress may also appear on GPO Access. Documents from 1774-1875 may also appear in the Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation. (See page 1 of this guide)

House and Senate Reports

For the 1^st - 14^th Congress, consult American State Papers; a paper edition is shelved in stack 35. From the 15^th to the 63^rd Congress, use the U.S. Serial Set collection on microprint shelved in stack 96. If a serial number is not known, refer to tables in the Checklist ... 1789-1909 or other reference tools to obtain one. For possible online access, see the U.S. Congressional Serial Set Digital Edition. (See page 1 of this guide)

63^rd Congress (House) - current: Paper; Stack 32

63^rd Congress (Senate) - current: Paper; Stack 34-35

Exceptions (please note):

96^th Congress (House & Senate) are in paper, but also in microfiche in GPO fiche cabinets. House Reports are filed as X96-Sess.#:H.RP.#, and Senate Reports as X96-Sess.#:S.RP.#.

97^th - 98:2^nd Congress are in paper, but also in microfiche in GPO fiche cabinets. The House Reports are filed under SuDocs number Y1.1/8: and Senate Reports under Y1.1/5:.

Most recent House and Senate Reports are available in paper; however miscellaneous ones which GPO was not able to supply may be in fiche only. House and Senate Documents beginning with the 104^th Congress also appear on GPO Access. Reports from 1774-1875 may also appear in the Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation. (See page 1 of this guide)

Senate Executive Documents and Reports (not printed in the Serial Set)

15^th - 91^st Congress: Microfiche; Cabinet 12; For a guide to the above microfiche collection see CIS Index to US Senate Executive Documents and Reports ... Not Printed in The U.S. Serial Set, 1817-1969 in DOCREF KF40.C57 1987.

87^th Congress, 2^nd Sess. - current: Paper; Stacks 34

104^th - current: GPO Access

Senate Treaty Documents

97^th - current: Paper; Stack 34

104^th - current: GPO Access

House and Senate Committee Prints

23^rd - 91^st Congress (1911 - 1969): Microfiche
Cabinet 15; For a guide, consult CIS US Congressional Committee Prints Index in DOCREF J74.C66.

(1953 - 1980): Microprint; Stack 93-95
Check Monthly Catalog for the year/entry number to access this Readex non-depository collection.

(1981 - date): Microfiche; Cabinet 1
Check Monthly Catalog for SuDocs classification number.

Additional committee prints may be held in paper. To locate the paper copies, consult the Documents card catalog under U.S. Congress. [House or Senate]. [Committee Name] as author; then by title of the print to obtain SuDocs number, Congress, and session. These are interfiled with hearings in stacks 38-46.

House and Senate Committee Hearings

Caution: While a few hearings are online from the 105^th Congress forward on GPO Access, this represents only a limited number of hearings that are available. A browse hearings function is available online at www.gpoaccess.gov/chearings/browse.html.

From the 97^th Congress forward, Congressional hearings are in microfiche and are filed by the SuDoc number in cabinet 1. The Monthly Catalog or the CIS Index and Abstracts are primary finding aids for obtaining the SuDoc classification number by which the fiche are filed.

Prior to the 97^th Congress, Alexander Library also has most hearings in paper copy. Our print collection is filed in stacks 38 - 46. Subject access is through the Monthly Catalog (see DOCREF US GP3.8). Holdings are noted in the Documents card catalog under U.S. Congress. [House or Senate]. [Committee name]. and title. Location requires the SuDoc number, Cong./Sess, and title. An exception is that Senate Appropriations Committee hearings for the 96^th Congress are in fiche.

The following represent various special collections of hearings that Alexander has purchased:

18^th - 94^th Congress (1823 - 1976): Microfiche; Cabinet 12
This collection of unpublished Senate hearings is indexed by CIS Index to Unpublished U.S. Senate Committee Hearings in DOCREF KF40.C55 1986 and its supplement.

22^nd - 88^th Congress (1833 - 1964): Microfiche; Cabinet 12
This collection of unpublished House hearings is indexed by CIS Index to Unpublished U.S. House of Representatives Committee Hearings in DOCREF KF27.A2U6 1988 and supplement.

25^th - 73^rd Congress (1839 - 1934): Microfiche; Cabinet 13
This collection of Congressional Committee Hearings not in the U.S. Senate Library is indexed by Supplement to the Index of Congressional Hearings...1934 in DOCREF KF40.U49 1971 Supp.

(1869 - 1934): Microfiche; Cabinet 13
Hearings, both House and Senate, are indexed by Index of Congressional Committee Hearings (not confidential in character) Prior to 1935 in US Senate Library in DOCREF KF40.U49 1971.

Journals of The Congress

(Titles vary; may be some gaps; selected years of the House Journal and the Senate Journal are available in the U.S. Serial Set in microprint.) Selected items may also be available in the Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation...1774-1875 (memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html) or the U.S. Congressional Serial Set Digital Edition. (See page 1 of this guide)

Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789.: Paper; Stack 36

Journal of the House of Representatives, 1789 - current: Paper; Stack 35

Journal of the Senate, 1789 - current: Paper; Stack 35

Journal of Executive Proceedings of the Senate, 1^st -58^th: Paper; Stack 35

Journal of Executive Proceedings of the Senate, 1^st -60^th: M/fiche; Cabinet 14

Journals of the Congress of the Confederate States: Paper; Stack 36

Secret Journals ... Congress, 1775-1788: Paper; Stack 36

Laws

Statutes at Large, v.1-current, 1789-date (w/gaps): Paper; Stack 25

Statutes at Large, v.1-32, 1789-1903: Microfiche; Cabinet 14

U.S. Code: Paper; Stack 25

U.S. Code Annotated: Paper; Stack 25

U.S. Code Congressional and Admin.News, 1941-2002: Paper; Stack 25

The Statutes at Large for the period 1789-1875 may also be found in the Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation...1774-1875 (memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html); recent Public Laws may be found on the GPO Access site.

Guides to the Literature

Congress and Law-Making: Researching the Legislative Process: REF KF240.G63 1989
Congressional Quarterly�s Guide to Congress: REF JK1021.C565 1991
How Our Laws Are Made: DOCUSR Y1.1/7
also http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html
Law Librarians' Society of Washington D.C. Legislative Source Book: http://llsdc.org/sourcebook/index.html
Introduction to United States Government Information Sources: DOCREF ZA 5055.U6M67 1999
U.S. Government on the Web: REFDESK ZA5075.H47 2003

Indexes and Guides for Locating Congressional Material

Amercian State papers

Alexander Library - Rutgers University Government Publications - Guide 5