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Almost all of the Library's Congressional publications are listed in the Online Catalog. For comprehensive searches, however, and for some specialized points of access that may be necessary to find the specific publication you need, you can use one of the following indexes:
Congressional Universe. This database is available for on-campus use AT THE LAW LIBRARY ONLY.
CIS (Congressional Information Service) Index. The Library has this printed index, which is a subset of the electronic Congressional Universe covering the years from 1970-1992.
CIS is published two parts: Index and Abstracts and is shelved on the west wall of the reference area (Library Main Floor). It covers only publications of Congressional Committees. The index volumes consist largely of a regular alphabetical index of subjects and names. Some potentially useful supplementary indexes include bill numbers, report and document numbers, and committee and subcommittee chairmen.
Prior to 1984, each annual abstract cumulation of CIS contains Legislative Histories. These listings are arranged by Public Law (P.L.) number and include CIS references for all publications dealing with the legislation as it wound its way through Congress. In 1984, CIS began publishing a separate annual volume of these Legislative Histories. (For links to Internet sites with legislative history information, see the section of this guide on Laws.)
Documents listed in CIS with a Superintendent of Documents classification number may be held by the Blume Library. Check the Online Catalog or the Documents Received List to be sure, and to determine if the document is held in paper or microfiche.
Current publications listed in CIS without a Superintendent of Documents classification number cannot be found locally in tangible form; they may be available electronically on Congressional Universe, GPO Access or committee web sites.. The St. Mary's Law Library has a microfiche collection of these non-depository titles for 1970-1982. The Law Library also has a current subscription to the CIS index.
Another source of Superintendent of Documents numbers for Congressional and other government publications, and for links to electronic versions of the publications:
Catalog of Government Publications (formerly Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications; see Government Information–Basic Guide for more information). It is now possible to access this catalog for information on documents published from July, 1976, to the present through two different interfaces:
In addition to Congressional Universe and the Catalog of Government Publications discussed above, there are some other freely available websites where many Congressional publications may be found:
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GPO Access
Databases that are searchable at GPO Access include the "basic" documents of our government: bills and laws (1994 to the present), Supreme Court decisions (1937-1975), Congressional Record (1994 to the present; the Index is available for 1983 to the present), Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations(1995 to the present), as well as much other miscellaneous government information. Either use the links above, or choose one of the titles listed on the main GPO Access page. Selecting "View All" under the "Legislative Resources" or "Executive Resources" heading displays the complete listing of databases in each category. The Legislative page is divided into these sections: Legislative Process, Congressional Materials, Legislative Resources, and Additional Resources. The Executive page has: Regulatory Process, Presidential Materials, Executive Publications and Additional Resources.
You may also search across different databases simultaneously through
the Search
across multiple databases page. (Be aware that the most recent year of the Federal Register
is the default database selected on this page.
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Thomas
Operated by the Library of Congress, this site includes information about the current and recent Congresses. Bills and laws for the 93rd (1973) and later Congresses are searchable and the Congressional Record for the 101st (1989) and later Congresses is searchable. (The Congressional Record Index is only searchable back to 1994.) Some historical and education materials are also available, as are links to other Congressional and government web sites. This amazing site is maintained by the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness to help lawyers in federal agencies access legal information on the Internet. Because of this, some of the sites linked are not open to general internet users. But there are many, many free sites as well. You can search for federal legislation and regulations by subject or title, there is a set of links to arbitration and mediation resources, and a set of links to state and territorial web pages, some of which include databases of laws and/or regulations. Government Resources (from the Library of Congress) Set of links to reference information on Congress, both current and historical, and from government and other sources. |
The Libraries at North Carolina State University have developed a comprehensive listing of Senate hearings, prints and other publications, back to 1983. And the Sunlight Foundation, a public interest group, makes searchable versions of many Congressional publications, as well as those of some other agencies, available through their LOUIS system.
Information about Congressional Committees, and some of their publications, are also available through their own web sites. These pages have links to the sites: House Committee Information • Senate Committee Information.
To
Congress Guides Index • To list of
sources
To
Government Information Home
