An excellent starting point for information on search strategy and sources of U.S. documents -- both in printed and online form -- is Using Government Information Sources: Electronic and In Print. Oryx Press, 2001. (Olin Ref Z 1223 Z7 S4x 2001).

Also, see Internet and Online Sources of U.S. Legislative and Regulatory Information, by Richard J. McKinney for descriptive information and a comparison chart of online legislative and regulatory sites.

REFERENCE SOURCES

• Congressional Quarterly's Guide to Congress. 5th ed. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, 2000. [Olin Library Reference, JK1021 .C74 2000]
  "The core of the book is contained in the first three sections: history; powers; and procedures of the institution. These are followed by more detailed examination of related subjects such as pressures on Congress; pay, housing, qualifications, and ethics of members; and how Congress is elected." [preface] The Appendix offers a Glossary of Congressional Terms and additional facts and figures on a variety of topics, e.g., The Longest Sessions of Congress; Lame Duck Sessions since 1945; Attempted and Successful Cloture Votes, 1919-1998; the Capitol Floor Plan, and many more.
• United States. Congress. House of Representatives. Calendar of the United States House of Representatives and History of Legislation. Washington: Government Printing Office. Daily. Olin Ref J 47 A3+
  For Senate and House calendars from the 104th Congress (1995-6) to date, see GPO Access search gateway. Note: Cited as House Calendar. "The Calendar is very useful for following day-to day progress of legislation through both Houses of Congress; index, usually on Mondays; final edition covers the session and a cumulated final edition at the end of the Congress. It includes lists of bills in and through conference, the various calendars of business, and a numerical list of bills and resolutions of both House and Senate with their legislative history." (The description above was taken from the National Archives http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/admin-history/laws-and-treaties.html )
• United States. Congress. Senate. Library. Presidential Vetoes: 1789-1988 and Supplement 1989- 2000. Olin Ref, J 80 A8 1789-88; J 80 A8 Suppl. 1989/00
  "The purpose of this publication is to provide a comprehensive listing of the Presidential vetoes of legislation enacted by the Congress....It is also intended as an aid in the study of the relationship between the executive and legislative branches of the United States Government and of its system of checks and balances." [preface] See also: CRS report: Presidential Vetoes: 1789 - present (2004): A Summary Overview.

DATABASES

• Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis).
  Serves as both an index and a full text source of US Congressional materials: members and committees, bills, laws, hearing transcripts, committee prints, documents, the Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, US Code. Updated daily. Produced by Congressional Information Service, a major publisher of government documents related reference sources, including (in print) the CIS Index to publications of the United States Congress (1970 - )[OLIN REF Z 1223 A2 C739+] and "historical" volumes and series covering the publications of Congress from 1789 to 1970.

• CQ Electronic Library.
  Includes the CQ Researcher, CQ Weekly, CQ Public Affairs Collection, CQ Voting and Elections Collection, CQ Congress Collection and the CQ Encyclopedia of American Government. Includes increased "All CQEL Search" functionality to search across subscribed collections.
• CQ Researcher. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc., 1991-. (online from 1991; in paper from 1930 in URIS Library, 7th Level, H35 E23)
  CQ Researcher provides articles on current and controversial world issues. "Every 12,000-word report is written by an experienced journalist and features comments from experts, lawmakers and citizens on all sides of every issue. Numerous charts, graphs and sidebar articles -- plus a pro-con feature, a chronology, lengthy bibliographies and a list of contacts -- round out each report." (About page)

• CQ Weekly. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1946 - .(OLIN REF + JK 1 C661; also Uris Ref; available online via the Library Catalog or Find Databases from Oct. 1983 - date)
  CQ Weekly provides news summaries of congressional legislation, commission reports, presidential talks and appointments, and even information about birth dates, religious affiliation and occupation of senators and representatives. One of the best and most current of all publications dealing with government action. Covers Congress in depth, but also includes information on the executive and judicial branches of government. Quarterly indexes cumulate annually and provide access by subject. There are also special indexes for: Lobby registrations, Presidential texts, Committee roll call votes, etc.

• Legistorm
  "A database of congressional staff salaries..., all privately financed trips taken by members of Congress and congressional staffers, ...the latest happenings on the House and Senate floors, and upcoming floor debates and committee hearings. Includes an array of the latest reports of relevance to Congress, including Congressional Budget Office cost estimates, Statements of Administration Policy, presidential Executive Orders and Government Accountability Office reports." (web site)

• National Journal Group's Policy Central.
  Provides direct links to the full text of National Journal publications such as National Journal, Almanac of American Politics, Congress Daily, Technoloy Daily, American Health Line, The Hotline, Markup Reports, Poll Track, and others.
• Thomas--Legislative Information on the Internet
  Provides free access to a wide range of legislative information on the Congress, including the full text of the Congressional Record and bills for the 103rd to the present Congress, a directory of congressional committees and members of Congress, the weekly floor schedule for the House, and a schedule of daily committee hearings. Includes text of How Our Laws are Made by Edward F. Willett Jr.

• U.S Congressional Serial Set (Readex)
  Database of texts from the bound, sequentially numbered volumes of all the reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Texts constitute a rich source of primary source material on all aspects of American history. Upon completion, the digital version of the Serial set will consist of over 12 million pages. Database searchable by subject, publication category, standing committee author, and other parameters. Coverage 1817 - 1980 (when complete).

Bills -- also called measures -- are introduced into Congress by legislators to enact new laws or amend existing laws. They are cited by number using the abbreviations H.R. for House of Representatives and S. for Senate. See How Our Laws Are Made for an outline of the legislative process.

Numerical lists of all bills and resolutions proposed in any given session can be found in the index volume of the Congressional Record for that session, as well as in that session's House and Senate Journals.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
1989 (101st) - present	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)
1993 (103rd) - present	GPO Access
1993 (103rd) - present	Thomas

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	House/Senate	Library Location
1973 (93rd) - 2002 (107th)	House	Olin Lower Level; microfiche 230
	Senate	Olin Lower Level; microfiche 232
1943 (78th) - 1972 (92nd)	House	Olin J 50 H1+
	Senate	Olin J 50 S1+
1933 (73rd) - 1942 (77th)	House	Olin Lower Level; microfiche 230
	Senate	Olin Lower Level; microfiche 232
1899 (56th) - 1933 (72nd)	both	Olin Lower Level; microfilm 1100-1105
1789 (1st) - 1899 (55th)	House	Olin Lower Level; microfilm 1100-1105
	Senate	Olin Lower Level; microfilm 1100

*Also, some scattered bills for this period appear in various books and microforms, such as:

Anti-lynching bills introduced in Congress from 1934-1939. Africana Library Reserve, Film 6.
Bills Relating to Agriculture. Introduced at the first session of the 68th Congress. Library Annex HD 185 A2

A number of books contain the texts of bills from this period that address specific topics. Try searching the catalog using the word "bills" limited to title, combined with appropriate keywords.

RESOLUTIONS

There are three types of resolutions:

• Simple resolutions are housekeeping measures considered by and affecting only one chamber of Congress. Designated by the abbreviations H. Res. (House) and S.Res (Senate), these do not become law.

• Concurrent resolutions deal with internal matters of both chambers. Abbreviated as H. Con. Res. (House) and S. Con. Res. (Senate), these must be passed by both chambers, but do not become law.

• Joint resolutions are used for limited matters such as commemorative holidays. They are signed by the President and do have the force of law. They are abbreviated as H. J. Res. (House) and S.J. Res. (Senate). Joint resolutions can also be used to propose amendments to the Constitution.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
1989 (101st) - present	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)
1993 (103rd) - present	GPO Access
1993 (103rd) - present	Thomas

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	House/Senate	Type	Library Location
1933 (73rd) - 1942 (77th)	House	simple	Olin Lower Level; microfiche 238
1943 (78th) - 1972 (92nd)	House	simple	print; OLIN +J50 H2
1973 (93rd) - 1999 (106th)	House	simple	Olin Lower Level; microfiche 238
1973 (93rd) - 1998 (105th)	House	joint	Lower Level; microfiche 236
1943 (78th) - 1972 (92nd)	House	joint	print; OLIN +J50 H4
1933 (73rd) - 1942 (77th)	House	joint	Lower Level; microfiche 236
1839 (26th) - 1933 (72nd) 1825 (19th) - 1829 (20th)	House	joint	Lower Level; Film 1104
1973 (93rd) - 1998 (105th)	House	concurrent	Lower Level; microfiche 235
1943 (78th) - 1972 (92nd)	House	concurrent	print; OLIN +J50 H3
1933 (73rd) - 1942 (77th)	House	concurrent	Lower Level; microfiche 235
1895 (54th) - 1933 (72nd) 1855 (34th) - 1863 (37th) 1823 (18th) - 1839 (25th) 1789/91 (1st)	House	simple concurrent	Lower Level; Film 1105
1973 (93rd) - 1998 (105th)	Senate	simple	Olin Lower Level; microfiche 233
1943 (78th) - 1972 (92nd)	Senate	simple	print; OLIN +J50 S2
1933 (73rd) - 1942 (77th)	Senate	simple	Olin Lower Level; microfiche 233
1973 (93rd) - 1998 (105th)	Senate	concurrent	Lower Level; microfiche 234
1943 (78th) - 1972 (92nd)	Senate	concurrent	print; OLIN +J50 S3
1933 (73rd) - 1942 (77th)	Senate	concurrent	Lower Level; microfiche 234
1973 (93rd) - 1998 (105th)	Senate	joint	Lower Level; microfiche 237
1943 (78th) - 1972 (92nd)	Senate	joint	print; OLIN +J50 S4
1933 (73rd) - 1942 (77th)	Senate	joint	Lower Level; microfiche 237
1839 (26th) - 1933 (72nd) 1833/34 (23rd)	Senate	joint	Lower Level; Film 1101

HEARINGS (PUBLISHED)

Congressional hearings contain transcripts of testimony given before committees, and may contain appended documents, reports, studies and other materials relevant to the subject of the hearing. These are for the most part cataloged individually as monographs in both the online catalog.

*

Finding Aids:

Lexis Nexis Congressional or the printed CIS US Congressional Committee Hearings Index (OLIN REFERENCE +Z1223 A2 C58).

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
2000 - date; scattered titles from 1995-1999	connect via links in individual Library Catalog records; text is supplied in PDF format via GPO Access
1988 (100th) - present; witness testimony only	Lexis Nexis Congressional
current Congress only; selected transcripts	Thomas

Print/Microform Locations:

Coverage	House/Senate	Library Location
1973 - present	both	print; check online catalog
	both	Lower Level, Readex microform; check GPO Monthly Catalog for number
pre-1973	both	print; check online catalog
1839,1856, 1864 - 1952	House	Lower Level, Microfiche 600; check online catalog *
1834,1845,1860, 1863 - 1952*	Senate	Lower Level, Microfiche 601; check online catalog *
1956 - 2007	both	Lower Level, Readex microform; check printed GPO Monthly Catalog (OLIN REFERENCE Z1223 A18) for number

Examples of Library catalog record for hearing in Microfiche 600/601 set and corresponding fiche. (MS 2007 users click here.)

*NOTE:The Microfiche 600/601 set may be lacking some hearings for the 74th through 78th Congresses, or from 1935 - 1944. Check the Library Catalog for print versions of hearings from 1953-1955.

Hearings of the House Committee on Armed Services are cataloged together as a series from 1947 onward and shelved on the Lower Level, UA23.3 A3 H43. A few individual hearings not distributed in paper are on GPO microfiche (Microfiche 2095) or in the Readex fiche set.

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HEARINGS (UNPUBLISHED)

Not all Congressional hearings are published by the GPO. Transcripts for unpublished hearings reside in the National Archives, and many from 1823 through 1976 were microfilmed by CIS.

Finding Aids:

CIS Index to Unpublished US House of Representatives Committee Hearings, 1833-1936. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C572)

CIS Index to Unpublished US House of Representatives Committee Hearings, 1937-1946. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C5722)

*CIS Index to Unpublished US House of Representatives Committee Hearings, 1947-1954. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C5723)

*CIS Index to Unpublished US House of Representatives Committee Hearings, 1955-1958. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C5725 1994)

CIS Index to Unpublished US House of Representatives Committee Hearings, 1959-1964. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C5726 1997)

CIS Index to Unpublished US Senate Committee Hearings, 1823-1964. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C573)

CIS Index to Unpublished US Senate Committee Hearings, 1964-1968. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C574)

CIS Index to Unpublished US Senate Committee Hearings, 1969-1972. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C575 1995)
- includes supplementary index for 1913-1968.

CIS Index to Unpublished US Senate Committee Hearings, 1973-1976. (OLIN REF +Z 1223 A2 C575 1998)

The hearings indexed in these volumes -- through 1972 -- are also indexed online in Congressional Publications. (Lexis-Nexis)

*Notes:

The 1955-58 index also includes some pre-1955 hearings not available when the earlier index was published.

Coverage	Networked Resource
NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE

Print/Microform Locations:

Coverage	House/Senate	Library Location
1833 - 1936	House	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 884
1937 - 1946	House	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 1080
1947 - 1954	House	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 1161
1955 - 1958*	House	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 1715
1959 - 1964	House	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 2141
1824 - 1964	Senate	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 771
1965 - 1968	Senate	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 771a
1969 - 1972*	Senate	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 1714
1973 - 1976	Senate	fiche; Lower level, Microfiche 2142

*Notes:

The 1955-58 House set also includes some pre-1955 hearings not available when the earlier set was published.

The 1969-72 Senate set includes supplementary hearings from 1913-1968 which were not included in earlier sets.

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COMMITTEE PRINTS

Committee prints are publications prepared for the use of a Congressional committee either as a research study, activity report, on compilation of material of general interest. Prints are cataloged separately, and may be located by title in the card or online catalogs.

*

Finding Aids:

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
1995 (104th) - present	*Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)

*Note: "The LexisNexis Congressional basic subscription includes links to the full text of selected prints from 1995-2004... To access the 1995-2004 full text prints, the user should search on the Basic or Advanced Search form. The Basic Search and the Advanced Search default will return metadata records linked to the full text. The Advanced Search pull-down option All Fields Including Full Text takes the user directly to the full text publications. The advantage of accessing the metadata record first is that the record provides bibliographic and content information that will help the user make sense of the full text." (L/N)

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1973 -date	print; check online catalog
	Readex microform; check GPO Monthly Catalog for number
pre-1973	print; check online catalog
	Readex microform; check printed GPO Monthly Catalog (OLIN REFERENCE Z1223 A18) for number

THE SERIAL SET The Serial Set includes Congressional committee Reports, Documents, and (after 1980) Senate Executive Documents and Reports. For more information see: U.S. Congressional Serial Set: What It Is and Its History. The printed Serial Set located on Olin's Lower Level is several years behind. The latest bound volumes are from the 110th Congress, First Session (2007). More current documents may only be available in electronic form . Each volume in the Serial Set is shelved according to a number (a "serial" number; hence the name) that appears on its spine. Knowing the serial number makes it much easier to find a given volume in our stacks, but most bibliographic records for Reports and Documents do not include it. The following resources can help: 1789 - 1895 Checklist of United States public documents 1789-1909.Part 1. Olin Ref Z 1223 A113 1911a pt.1 See pages 3-101. 1895 (Dec.)- 1933 Index to the Reports and Documents of the ... Congress ... with Numerical Lists and Schedule of Volumes Olin Ref Z 1223 A14 1933 - onward Numerical Lists and Schedule of Volumes of the Reports and Documents of ... Congress, Olin Ref Z 1223 A15 The shelving sequence of the volumes kept on the Lower Level is by document type within a session is as follows: Senate Documents, Senate Reports, House Documents, House Reports. Oversized volumes have been pulled out of sequence and shelved separately at the end of the Serial Set section. As in the general stacks, pink signs at the end of the aisle indicate the oversize area. Our printed Serial Set holdings are not complete. See United States Serial Set in John M. Olin Library, OLIN REFERENCE Z1223 A16 C74+ (2 vols.) for a shelf inventory list compiled in 1991. Reports on Private Bills were eliminated from the printed Serial Set by an act of Congress from 1905 to 1938. Some Executive Branch publications (which were directed by Congress to appear in the Serial Set) between 1907 - 1912 were received as individual volumes not bound with the Serial Set. Some of these may be found in the catalog as separately cataloged volumes. As noted elsewhere, the Serial Set also contains map material. See CIS US Serial Set Index, Part 14, Vols. 1-10 (OLIN REF Z1223 A16 C74+ pt. 14, v1 -v10) for cartographic materials published in the Serial Set from 1789 through 1925.

Requesting Serial Set Volumes from the Annex
Serial Set volumes before 1981 will soon be available online through the Readex database, but patrons may still ask to see printed volumes. Because Serial Set volumes are designated as non-circulating, delivery requests for print volumes in the Annex Library must be submitted through Kroch Rare and Manuscripts and the delivered volumes used only in the RMC reading room. The Annex Library needs to have the specific barcode number for any given volume in order to process the request. Barcode numbers are assigned to each volume and appear in the holdings record. As of 11/11/09 there are 17 holdings records for this title, so in order to find them one needs to do the following:

• Open the Voyager Catalog client (NOT the public catalog)
• Search for the Bib ID 1629746
• Use the chart below to find the holdings record that contains the volume to be requested
• Find the volume number in the left column of the volume display of the holdings record and record the barcode number on the right
• Give the barcode number to the patron and direct him or her to the reference desk in RMC.

United States Congressional Serial Set Holdings Records
Bib. ID: 1629746

Congress	Date	Volume Range	Holdings Rec. No.
15th, 1st Sess. - 33rd, 2nd Sess.	1817 - 1854	1 - 775	6652738
33rd, 2nd Sess. - 42nd, 3rd Sess.	1854 - 1872	776 - 1568	6660262
42nd, 3rd Sess. - 49th, 1st Sess.	1872 - 1885	1569 - 2375	6683495
49th, 1st Sess. - 53rd, 1st Sess.	1885 - 1893	2376 - 3149	6693866
53rd, 1st Sess. - 54th, 2nd Sess.	1893 - 1897	3150 - 3552	6785904
54th, 2nd Sess. - 56th, 1st Sess.	1896 - 1899	3553 - 3964	6711104
56th, 1st Sess. - 57th, 2nd Sess.	1899 - 1902	3965 - 4440	6790046
57th, 2nd Sess. - 58th, 3rd Sess.	1902 - 1903	4441 - 4840	6719823
58th, 3rd Sess. - 60th, 2nd Sess.	1904 - 1909	4841 - 5559	6742238
60th, 2nd Sess. - 65th, 2nd Sess.	1909 - 1917/18	5562 - 7324	1977370
65th, 2nd Sess. - 71st, 3rd Sess.	1918 - 1931	7325 - 9341	1977371
71st, 3rd Sess. - 78th, 2nd Sess	1931 - 1944	9342 - 10874	1977372
78th, 2nd Sess. - 87th, 1st Sess.	1944 - 1960	10875 - 12369	6773409
87th, 1st Sess. - 93rd, 2nd Sess.	1960 - 1973	12370 - 13060/2	1977373
93rd, 2nd Sess. - 98th, 1st Sess.	1973 - 1983	13060/3 - 13521	6776831
98th, 1st Sess. - 104th, 1st Sess.	1983 - 1995	13522 - 14293	6781922
104th, 1st. Sess. - 110th, 1st Sess.	1995 - 2007	14294 - 15117	1977374

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Committee reports describe the purpose and scope of the bill to which they are attached. They also provide arguments in favor of the bill's approval. If a committee votes to report a bill favorably to the full House or Senate, it does so with an accompanying report. As a rule, reports are favorable towards the bill under consideration and provide a useful source for determining "legislative intent." Reports are cited with the abbreviated prefixes H. Rpt. for House of Representatives, and S. Rpt. for Senate. With rare exceptions, Reports are not cataloged.

*

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
101st Congress (1989) - present	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)
104th Congress (1995) - present	GPO Access
104th Congress (1995) - present	Thomas
23rd Congress (1833) - 64th Congress (1915-17)       *Selected reports only*	American Memory
15th Congress (1817) - 96th Congress (1980)	U.S. Congressional Serial Set (Readex - in progress)
1st Congress (1789) - 25th Congress (1838)	American State Papers (Library of Congress)

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1789 (1st) - 1817 (14th)	print; American State Papers, 38 vols., Kroch Rare & Manuscript Collection J33++
1789 (1st) - 1860 (36th)	print; New American State Papers.        Call numbers vary by subject, as follows: Agriculture -- 19v. Library Annex HD 1759 U58 1973 Commerce and Navigation -- 47v. Olin HF 3025 U53 1973+ Explorations and Surveys -- 15v. Olin F 592 U58+ Indian Affairs -- 13v. Olin E93 U577+ Military Affairs -- 19v. Olin E181 N53+ Naval Affairs -- 10v. Olin E182 N53+ Public Finance -- 32v. Olin HJ249 U58 1972+ Public Lands -- 8v. Library Annex HD171 A212 1973 Science and Technology -- 14v. Olin Q127 U6 U573 1973+ Social Policy -- 5v. Olin HN57 U53 1972+ Transportation -- 7v. Olin HE204 U58 1972+ Correlation List of Serial Set volume numbers to this set: Olin Ref Z 1223 Z7 H73+
1817 (15th) - 1968 (90th)	print; Serial Set (Library Annex) (see Requesting Serial Set Volumes from the Annex)
1969 (91st) - 2007 (110th)	print; Serial Set (Lower Level)

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COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS

Committee documents are extremely varied, and include, for example, presidential messages, budget amendments, the President's State of the Union Address, and reference works such as the House and Senate Manuals and the pamphlet How Our Laws Are Made. Documents are cited with the abbreviated prefixes H. Doc. for House of Representatives, and S. Doc. for Senate. With rare individual exceptions, Committee documents are not cataloged.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
104th Congress (1995) - present	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)
104th Congress (1995) - present	GPO Access
104th Congress (1995) - present	Thomas
23rd Congress (1833) - 64th Congress (1915-17)       *Selected documents only*	American Memory
15th Congress (1817) - 96th Congress (1980)	U.S. Congressional Serial Set (Readex)
1st Congress (1789) - 25th Congress (1838)	American State Papers (Library of Congress)

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1789 (1st) - 1817 (14th)	print; American State Papers, 38 vols., (Kroch Rare & Manuscript Collection, J33++)
1817 (15th) - 1968 (90th)	print; Serial Set (Library Annex)
1969 (91st) - 2007 (110th)	print; Serial Set (Lower Level)
see Library Catalog for holdings	fiche; Lower Level; Microfiche 2701

*Notes:

The printed Serial Set runs through 2007. Though the Library will continue to receive paper copies as long as they are supplied through the depository program, current documents will only be available in electronic form until the paper documents are received and bound.

Our printed Serial Set holdings are not complete. See United States Serial Set in John M. Olin Library, OLIN REF Z1223 A16 C74+ (2 vols.) for a shelf inventory list compiled in 1991.

Congressional documents are a rich source of map material. See CIS US Serial Set Index,, Part 14, Vols. 1-10 (OLIN REF Z1223 A16 C74+ pt. 14, v1 -v10) for cartographic materials published in the Serial Set from 1789 through 1925.

Some Executive Branch publications (which were directed by Congress to appear in the Serial Set) between 1907 - 1912 were received as individual volumes not bound with the Serial Set. Some of these may be found in the catalog as separately cataloged volumes.

SENATE EXECUTIVE DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS

These are "formal documents that trace the part played by committees in the Senate's exercise of its constitutional Advice and Consent role in the making of treaties and nominations." (CIS) They have existed in printed form since 1818, but before 1930. if published prior to official confirmations or ratifications, they were considered confidential materials and so were not widely distributed. Executive documents and reports were not included in the Serial Set until 1980. Senate documents and reports are cited as Exec. Doc. and Exec. Rept. They are numbered sequentially within each Congress (e.g., Exec.Rept. 99-1).

Finding Aids:

CIS Index tro US Senate Executive Documents and Reports...1817-1969. OLIN REF Z1223 A155

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
104th Congress (1995) - present	GPO Access

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1817 - 1969	microfiche; Lower level, Microfiche 879

*Notes:

Executive reports and documents indexed in the GPO Monthly Catalog are also available in the Readex microfiche set.

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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

A transcript of the proceedings and debate in the House and Senate is printed daily in the Congressional Record. Frequently, permission is granted a Member by unanimous consent to revise and extend his remarks in the Record if sufficient time to make a lengthy oral statement is not available during actual debate. These revisions and extensions are printed in a distinctive type and cannot substantively alter the verbatim transcript.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
100th Congress (1988) - present	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)
103rd Congress (1993) - present	GPO Access
103rd Congress (1993) - present	Thomas

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1789 - 1824	print; Lower Level OLIN +J11 A5
1825 - 1837	print; Lower Level OLIN +J11 D5
1833 - 1873	print; Lower Level OLIN +J11 G5
1874 - 1996	print; Lower Level OLIN +J11 R4
1997 - present	print; Lower Level OLIN +J11 R41

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PUBLIC LAWS

When a bill becomes a law, it is given a Public Law Number and published as slip law. Also referred to as an Act or a Statute. Abbreviated as P.L. for Public Law number. The P.L. number includes the number of the Congress, e.g., P.L. 104-131, representing the 104th Congress. Public Laws are also cited by Statute, e.g., 110 Stat. 1213, representing the volume number (110) of Statutes at Large and the page number (1213) on which the text of the statute begins.

*
Finding Aids:

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
1789 - present (Statutes at Large)	Congressional Publications Click on the Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws link. On the Keyword Search tab, click on Statutes at Large radio button. If P.L. or Stat. number is known, use the Get A Document tab and select Statutes at Large from the document type menu.
1789 - 1875 (Statutes at Large)	American Memory (Library of Congress)
100th Congress (1988) - present	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)
104th Congress (1995) - present	GPO Access
summaries; 93rd Congress (1973) - present	Thomas
Latest edition of U.S. Code	FindLaw Congressional Publications (Choose Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws) GPO Access

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1973 - above	microform; Lower Level microfiche 240
	print; U.S. Statutes at Large, Lower Level OLIN +K U545 Last 5 volumes in Reference
every six years	print; U.S. Code, OLIN REF K 62 [year] A2+ [year]

A legislative history chronicles the development of a public law from its introduction as a bill (or as multiple bills) to its enactment. It usually cites such publications as House/Senate reports, hearings, the Congressional Record, and presidential remarks. Depending on the scope of the legislation, it can be lengthy or relatively brief. In locating a legislative history, it's very helpful to know the Public Law or Statute number of the law in question.

*Note:
While L/N's Congressional Publications is the best online source for legislative histories, those for laws passed before 1969 can be difficult to find. Most public laws contain a much-abbreviated legislative history on their final page. Some legislative histories have been published as independent monographs. See the Print section below for finding aid.

Online:

1999 (106th Congress) - present	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)	full legislative histories of all public laws
1984 (98th Congress) - 1998 (105th Congress)	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)	full legislative histories of major public laws; ceremonial and housekeeping laws excluded
1969 (91st Congress) - 1983 (97th Congress)	Congressional Publications (Lexis-Nexis)	abbreviated legislative histories of major public laws

Print:

1789 (1st Congress) - 1986 (99th Congress)	Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories OLIN REF KF 42.2 1979+	a bibliography of published legislative histories, arranged chronologically by P.L. number; indexed
1969 (91st Congress) - 1983 (97th Congress)	CIS Annual OLIN REF Z1223 A2 C74+	abbreviated legislative histories of major public laws (in Abstracts volume)
1984 (98th Congress) - 1998 (105th Congress)	CIS Annual OLIN REF Z1223 A2 C74+	full legislative histories of major public laws; ceremonial and housekeeping laws excluded (Legislative Histories volume)
1999 (106th Congress) - date	CIS Annual Index OLIN REF Z1223 A2 C74+	full legislative histories of major public laws (Legislative Histories volume)

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CONGRESSIONAL MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs) are "study groups, conferences, coalitions, or caucuses, that include only Members of Congress and focus on legislative and political issues of common interest or concern." (CIS) Among the 185 CMOs (as of 2000) are the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, Minor League Baseball Caucus, Friends of Norway Caucus, Porkbuster Coalition, and the Senate Anti-Terrorism Caucus.

These groups publish newsletters,legislative updates, roll call vote analyses, research reports and "Dear Colleague" letters -- largely documents that track legislative developments. The vast majority of this material is not distributed by the GPO (except in cases where an individual document also surfaces in the Serial Set), nor is it sent to the National Archives. It was virtually unmanaged until CIS asssembled a collection beginning in 1991.

Finding Aids:

Congressional Member Organizations & Caucuses. 1991 - date. OLIN REF +Z1223 Z7 C74
An index and guide to the fiche set noted below.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
unknown	Some caucauses maintain Web sites (e.g.,the Caucus on Women's Issues, the Internet Caucus) that may include agendas, briefing books, and other materials. These are often part of the chair's site. Use Google or other search engine to find them.

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1991 - 2001	microform; Congressional member organizations & caucuses. Lower Level, Microfiche 1165 (index in REF +Z 1223 Z7 C74)

• American Presidency Project
  Site contains documents (1789 - present) related to the study of the American Presidency, including public papers, annual messages to Congress, inaugural addresses, radio addresses, acceptance speeches, presidential candidates debates, party platforms, elections data, and an audio/video archive.
• Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (1991-2004, from Bush I through Bush II)
  "The Public Papers of the Presidents is published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and is the official publication of United States Presidents' public writings, addresses, and remarks. Each Public Papers volume contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the specified time period. The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In instances when the release date differs from the date of the document itself, that fact is shown in the textnote. Files are available in ASCII text and PDF formats." - GPO

  *NOTE: A Library Catalog title search for "public papers of the presidents" will also retrieve links and records for papers of specific administrations (e.g., Truman, Kennedy, Nixon), both in print and online.

EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND PROCLAMATIONS

Executive Orders and Proclamations are the formal mechanisms through which the president prescribes the conduct of business in the executive branch. They are often regarded as "presidential legislation." These documents are cited with the following abbreviated prefixes: EO_ (date) for Executive Order; Proc._ (date) for Proclamation.

Finding Aids:

Coverage	Networked Resource
2009 - date	Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents ProQuest, GPO Access
1965 - 2008	Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Hein Online
1996 - 2008	Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents GPO Access
1992 - 2008	Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents ProQuest
1994 - present	Federal Register* GPO Access

*Note: See also online resources offering Title 3 of the Code of Federal Regulations, such as Hein (1936 - present), GPO Access, and Lexis-Nexis Academic.

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1965 - 2008	print; Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents* Lower Level OLIN J 80 A87+
1936 - present	print; Code of Federal Regulations, Title 3,OLIN REF KF 70 A34 C6
1929 - 1933 1945 - 1998	print; Public Papers of the Presidents, Lower Level OLIN +J 80 A2
1789 - 1983	microform; CIS Presidential Executive Orders and Proclamations Lower Level, Microfiche 818 (index in REF +J 80 C57)

*Note: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents includes all public communications of the President, including speeches and press conferences, as well as orders and proclamations. As of January 20, 2009 it was superseded by Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents, which is only available online.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
1997 - 2001	The Budget of the United States Government via GPO Access
current	Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance - a compendium of over 1,000 programs, programs, services and activities that provide assistance or benefits to state and local governments, public and private institutions, and specialized groups and individuals.

Print Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1922/23 - current	print; The Budget of the United States Government OLIN +HJ 2051 A59; latest volume in OLIN REF
1965 - current	print; Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance various locations; check online catalog

The governmental bodies that make up the Executive branch of government are detailed in the United States Government Manual. These include the cabinet-level departments (Energy, Labor, Interior, etc.), independent establishments, agencies, and government corporations (the CIA, FEMA, National Archives, SEC, National Science Foundation, etc.)

Individual publications originating from these offices may be identified in the GPO Monthly Catalog, and located in the CU Library through the online catalog. Those published by the GPO may also be included in the Readex microfiche set on the Lower Level.

The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation: annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 29, 1992 (with 2000 supplement) is available in print at Olin Ref JK 14 1996 as well as online via GPO Access.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
1791 - present	US Supreme Court Lawyers Edition (opinions) via Lexis Nexis Academic; Click on Legal tab then on Federal & State Cases link; select U.S. Supreme Court Cases, Lawyers Edition from the "Select Sources" menu, or, if citation number is known, click on Legal tab, then Shepard's Citation link
1832 - 1978	U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs, 1832-1978 (Click on "Proceed" button, then scroll to bottom of list and click on resource name)
1979 - current	US Supreme Court Briefs via Lexis Nexis Academic; Click on Legal tab then on Federal & State Cases link; select U.S. Supreme Court Briefs from the "Select Sources" menu
1893 - present	U S Supreme Court Opinons via FindLaw
1937 - 1975	US Supreme Court Opinions Archive via GPO Access
1992 - 2000	US Supreme Court Opinions Archive via GPO Access
1990 - present	Supreme Court Collection (LII - Legal Information Institute)
1991 - 2004	U.S. Supreme Court Opinions Bound Volumes 502- 544 via U.S. Supreme Court;
1991 - current	US Supreme Court Previews via Lexis Nexis Academic; Click on Legal tab then on Federal & State Cases link; select Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases from the "Select Sources" menu

Print Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1798 - present	print; United States Reports (title varies) Lower level, storage range 1B; OLIN K U54; latest volume in OLIN REF

Reference and Finding Aids:

Shepard’s United States Supreme Court Case Names Citator. Colorado Springs, Colo.:Shepard’s/McGraw-Hill. Olin Ref KF101.2 S541 The case names and citations appear in United States reports; Lawyers edition, United States Supreme Court reports; Lawyers edition, United States Supreme Court reports, Second series; Supreme Court reporter. Also online through Lexis Nexis Academic. (Click on Legal tab, then on Shepard's Citations link.)

Oxford companion to the Supreme Court of the United States, edited by Kermit L. Hall. New York : Oxford University Press, 2005. 2nd ed. (also in print: Olin Ref KF8742.A35 O93 2005+)

Congressional Quarterly's Guide to the Supreme Court. Congressional Quarterly, 1997. Olin Ref KF 8742 C74 1997 3rd ed., 2 vols.

Great American Court Cases. Gale, 1999. Olin Ref KF385.A4 G68x 1999 In 4 volumes (v. 1. Individual liberties -- v. 2. Criminal justice -- v. 3. Equal protection and family law -- v. 4. Business and government)

Historic U.S. court cases, 1690-1990: an encyclopedia. Routledge, 2001. Olin Ref KF385.A4 J67 2nd ed.; In 2 vols.

Landmark Decisions of the United States Supreme Court. Congressional Quarterly, 2003. Olin Ref KF 4549 F56x 2003

The Supreme Court, A to Z. Congressional Quarterly, 1998. Olin Ref KF8742.A35 S8x 1998

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U.S. DISTRICT COURTS

U.S. District Courts produce federal case law and are located in all 50 states, including D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Mariana Islands. Cases are selectively published in the Federal Supplement and are cited as F. Supp. Older cases appear in the Federal Reporter.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
1789 - present	U S via LEXIS-NEXIS; see the Source List entry for content details; (click on Legal Research, then Federal Case Law; select District Courts on Court menu)

Print Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1933 - present	Federal Supplement, West's Federal Supplement; Law Library
1924 - 1988	Federal Reporter, Second Series; Law Library
1880 - 1924	Federal Reporter; Law Library

The Court of Appeals -- or U.S. Circuit Courts -- produces case law through review of claimed errors of law generated by lower courts in a geographical area or jurisdiction. Cases are published in Federal Reporter (F.), Federal Reporter, Second Series (F. 2d), and West's Federal Reporter, Third Series (F. 3d).

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
varies with Circuit	U S via LEXIS-NEXIS; see the Source List entry for content details; (click on Legal Research, then Federal Case Law; select Court of Appeals on Court menu)

The general public may submit comments on Federal regulations that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register. This can be done in writing to the relevant agency, or online via Regulations.gov. These comments are public records and may be viewed on the Web sites of the regulatory agencies.

Coverage	Networked Resource
194? - date	Congressional Publications Click on the "Advanced Search" tab; leave only the "CRS Reports" box checked. Coverage is intended to include reports back to 1916. As of June 2007 appears to contain some reports back through the 1940s.
1990 - date	Congressional Research Service Reports Hosted by UNT Libraries Aims to provide integrated, searchable access to many of the full-text CRS reports that have been available at a variety of different Web sites since 1990 and gathered by the University of North Texas Libraries.
unknown	Open CRS Collection Operated by the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Open CRS site "links to more than a half-dozen collections of nearly 8,000 reports" and centrally indexes the reports according to an AP wire report 6/27/05 by Ted Bridis. The site provides key word indexing to reports in those collections and links to recent CRS reports by date or hot topic such as Iraq or Identity Theft. The site also offers RSS feeds. Again, not comprehensive, but extensive coverage.
late 1990's(?) - date	U.S. House Rules Committee Has pdfs for CRS reports related to the rules and procedures of Congress only.
varies	CRS WWW Accessible Reports A catch-all site containing links to miscellaneous sources for CRS reports. Scroll down beyond the yellow background. Note that not all the links are working, and that the site has not been updated since 2001.

REPORTS REQUIRED BY CONGRESS (EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS)

"Every year Congress requires submission of thousands of reports prepared by Executive and Judicial Branch officials and agencies. Required by statute to be sent to the Speaker of the House...and/or the President of the Senate, in practice, these reports, referred to collectively as Executive Communications (ECs) are received by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate, respectively. These officers assign sequential numbers to the ECs and publish a notice of transmittal in the Congressional Record. (CIS) They are more often cited by number (e.g., EC 5541) than by title.

Although some of these reports are published by the Government Printing Office, most are issued in limited numbers by the originating agency. CUL does not have the CIS fiche set for the full text of ECs, only the index (cited below).

Finding Aids:

Reports Required by Congress: CIS Guide to Executive Communications. 1994 - . OLIN REF +Z1223 A12 R42

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
Some reports may be available online through U.S. agency Web sites. Try searching google.com or other Web search engine using specific terms and phrases, or report number (e.g., ECnnnn).

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
CUL does not own the CIS microfiche set for ECs. Check the Library Catalog for specific titles. Also, occasionally ECs are issued with agency annual reports or may be included in appendices of Congressional hearings.

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE (GAO) REPORTS

The General Accountability Office (formerly General Accounting Office) is the investigative arm of Congress. It examines the use of public funds, evaluatates federal programs, and provides various analyses and recommendations to the legislative branch through published reports.

Full-text online:

Coverage	Networked Resource
1995 - present	General Accountability Office GAO Reports
2004 - present	Congressional Publications Note: "Search on the Basic or Advanced Search form. The Basic Search and the Advanced Search default will return metadata records linked to the full text. The Advanced Search pull-down option All Fields Including Full Text takes the user directly to the full text publications. The advantage of accessing the metadata record first is that the record provides bibliographic and content information that will help the user make sense of the full text. The GAO PDFs are not searchable, but can be identified and accessed through the associated metadata record." (L/N)

Print/Microform Locations

Coverage	Library Location
1976 - 2000	microform; Report by the U.S. General Accounting Office. Lower Level, Microfiche 1057

*Notes:

GAO Reports indexed in the the GPO Monthly Catalog are also available in the Readex microfiche set. Some paper GAO reports are individually cataloged.

ERIC

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) is sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Education, providing access to educational research. It indexes and abstracts both articles in journals and unpublished reports. The full-text for most of the reports is available in a microfiche set housed in Mann Library and arranged by numbers beginning with the prefix ED. Journal articles are not included in the microfiche set; they are designated by numbers beginning with the prefix EJ. Check the Library Catalog for holdings of the journal titles.

Finding Aids:

NTIS

The National Technical Information Service (NTIS), under the Dept. of Commerce, provides access to reports and studies resulting from government-sponsored research. Most originate with federal agencies, but others are contributed by state and local governments, universities, "think tanks," and other research institutions. Some research comes from foreign governments (e.g., Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands). Many of these reports are on microfiche which had been housed at the Engineering Library, but now resides at the Library Annex. Patrons may be referred to Engineering Reference for assistance in paging the fiche from the Annex. NTIS reports may also be available full-text online in the Engineering Village 2 database.

Finding Aids:

FBIS Daily Reports

The Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) is an Executive branch agency created to translate the text of daily broadcasts, government statements, and select news stories from non-English sources around the world. It has existed since 1946 (as the Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service). Most of its translations are available in microfilm and microfiche with some older issues in paper. Since July 1996 the text is on compact disk, with the latest two years available online via World News Connection.

Related to FBIS is the Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS), which was established in 1957 as the centralized translation service for government offices, agencies and departments having need of current foreign language documentary materials. Though both FBIS and JPRS shared the same mission, they were not officially merged until 1996 with appearance of World News Connection. In print, the Transdex (under its various titles) indexed translations emanating from both agencies.

For the most part the information below applies to the Daily Report series. Both JPRS and FBIS issued innumerable sets of documents under other, more specific titles.

Finding Aids:

Full-text online/on disk:

Coverage	Networked Resource
ca. 2002 - present	World News Connection.
*July 1996 - Sept. 2000	FBIS Publications (disks in ETC)
1974 - 1996	FBIS Daily Reports 1974-1996

*Note: Full-text documents on CD-ROM began with January 1996, but we lack the disk for January - June.

Print/Microform Locations

Olin and Kroch Libraries own microfiche/microfilm and -- in some cases -- print copies of the full texts of FBIS/JPRS translations. These are dispersed throughout Olin and Kroch Libraries (with some even at the Library Annex) according to the geographical regions they represent. To locate them, note the Date, Region, and Page information that displays in both short and long citation formats. In many cases where both fiche and paper documents exist for a given date range, the documents are not necessarily duplicated. Note the document numbers that are given on the OPAC record for each format. Geographical regions are denoted by 3-letter codes (e.g., PRC, NES). Use the table below to interpret them.

The microfiche locations indicated below generally apply only to translations published from 1976 through 1996. To find earlier translations * search the Library Catalog for the title Daily Report [region name] (example: daily report asia & pacific).

Code	Region	Call number	Coverage
AAP	Asia & Pacific	Kroch Asia Microfiche 285	1978 - 1987
		Library Annex (print) +DS U59	1971 - 1987
AFR	Sub-Saharan Africa	Microfiche 921	1987 - 1996
CEU	Central Eurasia	Microfiche 310, also +DK 266A2 U58 (print)	1978 - 1992
EAS	East Asia	Kroch Asia Microfiche 285	1987 - 1996
EEU	East(ern) Europe	Microfiche 307	1978 - 1996
LAT	Latin America	Microfiche 308	1978 - 1996
MEA	Middle East & Africa	Microfiche 465	1980 - 1987
NES	Near East	Microfiche 920	1987 - 1996
PRC	China	Kroch Asia Microfiche 286	1971 - 1981
SAS	South Asia	Kroch Asia Microfiche 993	1980 - 1987
SOV	Soviet Union	Microfiche 310	1978 - 1996
USR	Central Eurasia: Balkan & Eurasian States	Microfiche 1158/1159, also: +DK 1 F28 (print)	1991 - 1994
WEU	Western Europe	Microfiche 312	1978 - 1996

*Note:
One set of microfilm, Daily report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts. (OLIN FILM 298) gathers the texts of FBIS daily reports from 1947 - 1974 for most areas.

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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Documents

Most federal agencies have Freedom of Information offices that administer the provision of internal documents requested through the Freedom of Information Act. Generally there are links to FOIA Web sites from the respective agency home pages. Their contents vary, but among those that provide full text are:

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - Documents previously released to the public since November 1996 are contained in this database; goes back at least to 1945; full-text searchable;

• Federal Bureau of Invesigation (FBI) - not searchable, but has linked subject index

• National Security Agency (NSA)- contains text of some documents released through FOI; not searchable; has linked subject list

• The Black Vault - Archives more than 400,000 documents procured through the Freedom of Information Act. Cold War era materials, FBI files, homeland security, Dept. of Defense documents, weapons systems, spy satellites, field manuals and more.

With the heightened sensitivity to national security concerns following 9/11, a number of documents that had been accessible via government web sites have been removed from those sites, particularly if they involved defense matters. Also, when government agencies are dissolved, their web sites -- often containing full-text documents -- disappear as well. Here are some sites that have attempted to archive some of this material:

The Memory Hole at http://www.thememoryhole.org contains a number of hard to find reports and declassified documents, most of a controversial nature. It also archives visual material (e.g., the flag-draped coffin photograps)whose distribution has been restricted. This site does assume a particular political perspective.

CyberCemetery at: http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/ has archived documents from now defunct government agencies. It is the product of a partnership between the University of North Texas Libraries and the U.S. Government Printing Office.

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