(Reader Information Bulletin 13 -- UCL816-00)
The University of Chicago Library has been a selective depository of the Federal Depository Library Program since 1897. It regularly receives large numbers of government publications and provides access to them for the university community, as well as for the general public. The Center for Research Libraries also has an extensive government documents collection that is readily available to University of Chicago Library users.
Most U.S. government publications at the University of Chicago
Library are fully cataloged and interfiled with the research
collections. Access is through the Library's Online
Catalog. Major government documents are now available online and links to full text are listed below. Paper texts of government documents are catalogued under the Library of Congress Classification. The one exception pertains to the Congressional committee hearings and prints from the 90th Congress (1967) through the present which are catalogued under the SuDoc number of Y4 and are availabledigitally in the LexisNexis Congressional Hearings Digital Collection. Any paper Y4's are temporarily housed in Harper Storage and can be paged on a scheduled retrieval time.
This bulletin describes briefly some commonly used government
document reference and finding tools available in the Library.
Special guides for compiling legislative histories are available at
the D'Angelo Law Library. For assistance in using document reference
sources and in finding government publications in the Library, consult
a reference librarian.
Morehead, Joe. Introduction to United States Government
Information Sources (ZA5055.U6M67 1999 RRExp)
United States. Office of the Federal Register. The United States
Government Manual (JK421.A35 last v. RRExp; RR2; SSAD;
SciRef; Gen; Harp)
The
Almanac of American Politics (JK1012.A44 last v. RRExp, RR2,
Gen)
Congressional Quarterly Almanac (JK1.C73 RR; RR2; Gen)
CQ Weekly (JK1.C733 last v. RR2; Gen)
GPO Monthly Catalog on FirstSearch Restricted to University of Chicago computing accounts.
Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications(Z1223.A18 pre-1976 in RR; 1976- GEN, RR, SciRe, SSAD)
Congressional Staff Directory (JK1012.C77 last v. RR; next to last v. RR2; Gen)
Federal Regulatory Directory (JK901.F29 last v. RRExp; SSAd; Gen)
United States. Congress. Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-most current. (JK1010.A5 RR)
United States. Congress. Official Congressional Directory (JK1011 last v. RR, RR2, Gen)
Washington Information Directory (F192.3.W31 last v. RRExp; Gen)
American Statistics Index (Z1223.Z71A51RR)
United States Bureau of the Census. Historical Statistics of the
United States (Millennial edition online), Colonial Times to 1970 (HA202.A3 1975 RRExp; RR2; RR3; Gen; SSAd; Sci. Also available on CD-ROM. Access from workstation in Joseph Regenstein Library first floor reading room
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BASIC GENERAL PUBLICATIONS
Guides to the government and its publications
discusses basic sources of information about government
documents
describes functions and organization of departments and
agencies, and lists their principal officials
covers "The President, the Senators, the Representatives, the
Governors: their records and election results, their states and
districts"
includes the events of the year in Congress, politics, and
government; gives detailed summaries of all major legislation and
records of vote
gives detailed coverage of activity of the Congress, President,
Supreme Court, and national politics; indexed quarterly by subject and
name.
Comprehensive indexes
Catalog provides records of U.S. government
publications. Coverage from July, 1976. Also publicly accessible
through GPO Access
from 1994 forward.
from 1885 to date; lists government publications as they are
issued; with annual indexes. Catalogue of Public Documents of
the Congress and of All Departments of the Government of the United
States (Z1223.A13 1893 RR), a precursor of the Monthly
Catalog, covers 1893-1940. For earlier publications, consult
Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the United States
Government (Z1223.A13 1881 RR; Gen; SciRef) and A
Descriptive Catalogue of the Government Publications of the United
States (Z1223.A13 1885 RR; Gen; SciRef
Directories
covers staffs of members of Congress and of committees and
subcommittees and Congressional Pictorial Directory
gives profiles of regulatory agencies and their personnel
gives short sketches of all members of Congress and the Continental Congress
gives biographies and committee assignments of current members; lists Representatives by districts
lists Congress, executive agencies, private and special interest groups and their personnel maintaining,offices in Washington
Statistical sources
Federal Government, indexed by author, subject and issuing agency. Online access is available through Statistical and Statistical Abstract of the United States (HA202.A2 last v. RRExp, SciRef; RR2; Gen; SSAd; Harp; Sci)
1878 to date; annual compilation of current statistics; cites sources
statistical data from 1610 to 1970, with discussions of sources
BASIC CONGRESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS
Open CRS Congressional Research Reports for the People. Open CRS is a project of the Center for Democracy & Technology that serves as a centralized location to learn about the Congressional Research Service and search for CRS reports that have been released to the public by members of Congress.
CRS Reports and Committee Prints (Lexis/Nexis)
Indexes
Commerce Clearing House. Congressional Index (J69.C73 Gen)
issued weekly since 1936; gives comprehensive coverage of
current activity, current status of bills
Congressional Information Service. CIS Index to Publications of
the United States (J69.C75 RR)
from 1970 to date; abstracts of Congressional hearings,
reports, prints,and other documents; indexed by names, title and
subjects
Congressional Information Service. CIS US Serial Set Index
(Z1223.Z9C75 1975 RR); CIS US Congressional Committee
Hearings Index (Z1223.C15 RR); CIS US Congressional;
Committee Prints Index (Z1223.Z7C74 RR)
the Serial Set Index covers 1789-1969; the
Hearings Index covers 1833-1969; the Prints
Index lists ". . .the earliest publications through 1969". All
are indexed by subject and keyword.
CIS U.S. serial set (microform) 1789-1969 microfiche Z1223.Z9C74 Microforms RR3
Historical and Current United States Congressional Serial Set
Bills
full texts of bills from the 97th Congress (1981) are available on microfiche in Law and Microfom RR3; full texts of most earlier bills are held by the Center for Research Libraries. Online access to bills is available through GPO Access
Library of Congress. Congressional Reference Service. Digest
of Public General Bills and Resolutions (J52.A31 RR; Gen)
from 1936 to date; includes actions taken; indexed by sponsors,
titles, subjects; consult Congressional Index (see above)
for current status of bills
Documents and reports
United States. Congress. American State Papers (J33 f.A4 Rare; Gen)
classified and selected compilation of "important" documents
and reports of the earliest Congresses
United States Congressional Serial Set (J66 1970- present Gen, prior to 1970 in Harper Storage)
complete cumulation of congressional documents and reports,
with annual index from 1981; use U.S. Serial Set Index
(see above) for materials through 1969, or Numerical Lists and
Schedule of Volumes (Z1223.A145 RR) for materials through
1980; House and Senate document and report numbers cited in the
CIS Index (see above) are usually sufficient for locating
materials since 1980; materials from the latest sessions are held
unbound in RR
Committee hearings and prints<
Consult the LexisNexis Congressional Hearings Digital Collection first for full transcripts of hearings. This source will through various releases contain Retrospective A for 1834-1979 and Retrospective B for 1980- present hearings in digitized PDF format. As of January 2008, PDF's of hearings from 1965-1979 and from 1980-2003 and 2004-2007 have been delivered and may now be accessed. The PDF's represent 60,789 titles. The staus of content delivery will be updated on a monthly basis.90th Congress (1967) to date in Regenstein shelved by Superintendent of Documents number (Y4. . .): Any Y4 paper hearing is now shelved temporarily in Harper Storage and may be paged from Harper Library on a scheduled basis . All hearings and prints are listed in the LexisNexis Database and in the Online Catalog. Note: unpublished hearings have been issued on microfiche instead of paper; consult Reference staff for materials on microfiche Eventually the unpublished hearings will be in the LexisNexis Congressional Hearings Digital COllection as well.
Pre-90th Congress (1967) in Regenstein are shelved by Library of Congress classification numbers: consult the Online Catalog for call numbers. The U.S. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary is an exception to separate cataloguing and the set of hearings is listed under Hearings before..... from 1958-1966 under one call number J74.C3 in Regenstein stacks. The Law Library has kept the Committee on the Judiciary hearings as well.(inquire at the D'Angelo Law Library).
Unpublished House and Senate committee hearings (and also on microfiche)
CIS Index to Unpublished U.S. House of Representatives Committee Hearings 1833-1972 XXKF40.C54 RR
CIS Index to Unpublished U.S. Senate Committee Hearings 1823- 1984 RR
Unpublished U.S.Senate committee hearings (online and microfiche) 1823-1984 Regenstein Microforms, Floor 3 (microfc) XXKF25.8.A1U66
Unpublished U.S. House of Representatives committee hearings (onlline and microfiche) 1833-1972 Regenstein, Microforms, Floor 3 (microfc) XXKF26.8.A1U668
Debates, proceedings and roll calls
United States. Congress. Congressional Record Online access covers 1994-forward. (J11.R
unbound and bound issues in Gen; SSAd) and another online access Congressional Record
Paper copy from 1874 to date; gives summaries of bills, and
verbatim records of House and Senate meetings; for earlier records
consult the "Annals of Congress": Debates and Proceedings in the
Congress of the United States (J11.D Gen) covers
1789-1824; Register of Debates in Congress (J11.G Gen) covers 1824-1837; and Congressional Globe (J11.G
Gen) covers 1833-1873
United States. Congress. House. Journal
(J45.A3 Gen) United States. Congress. Senate. Journal
(J35.A3 Gen)
records of proceedings, excluding texts of bills and debate
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BASIC EXECUTIVE PUBLICATIONS
Administrative rulings
Code of
Federal Regulations (J1.A212 latest edition RR; Gen)
the "CFR" codifies information published in the Federal
Register; annual, with index
Federal
Register (microfc J15 last v. RR, Mic)
from 1982 to date on microfiche in Regenstein.
Pre-1982 in bound volumes (J1.A2 Gen) in Regenstein. Contains
Presidential orders and other documents, rules and regulations,
proposed rules and regulations, department and agency notices
Budget materials
United States. Office of Management and Budget. Budget of the
United States Government (HJ2051.A505 last v. RR; Gen;
SSAD)
section one has the President's budget message and the overview
of his proposals; section two provides summary information, including
historical tables, and detailed budget estimates and details;
Major Themes and Additional Budget Details (HJ2051.U56b
last v. RR; Gen; SSAd) gives more information
Foreign policy, treaties and agreements
United States. Department of State. Office of the Legal Advisor.
Treaties
in Force (JX236 1929 last v. RR, Gen)
annual listing of treaties and other international agreements
in force; current
treaty actions also available on the web
United States. Treaties etc. United States Treaties and Other
International Agreements (JX236 1950 RR2)
contains texts of treaties and other international agreements;
indexed by Kavass, Igor I.: United States Treaties and Other
International Agreements Cumulative Index, 1776-1949 (JX236.K2
RR) and his UST Cumulative Index,
1950-1970 and Supplement (JX236.K21 RR)
US Department of State Dispatch (JX232.A2115 unbound issues RR2;
Gen)
formerly called Department of State Bulletin;
gives major addresses and news conferences, press releases,
information about treaties and agreements in force or in
preparation
online access:
- through DOSFAN ERC Archives
- before 2001 through State Department web site
- through Hein On-line
- through Academic Search Premier
Presidential materials
United States. President.
Economic Report of the President Transmitted to the Congress
(HC106.5.A59 last v. RR, Gen; SSAd)
annual; includes the Annual Report of the Council of Economic
Advisors
United States. President. Public Papers of
the Presidents of the United States (J80.A32 Gen)
comprehensive collection of Presidential documents
Weekly
Compilation of Presidential Documents (J80.A33 last 5 years
RR; Gen)
includes proclamations, executive orders, addresses, remarks,
appointments, letters, acts approved, checklists of White House press
releases, etc.
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BASIC JUDICIAL PUBLICATIONS
Laws
United States Code Congressional and Administrative News
(J74.A25 last 5 v. RR, Gen)
includes texts of laws and committee reports prior to passage,
with legislative history data and detailed indexing
United States. Laws, Statutes, etc. Slip Laws ( RR)
first appearance of a law, unbound: consult reference staff;
CIS Index (see above) has PL numbers
United States. Laws, Statutes, etc. United States
Code, Containing the General and Permanent Laws of the United
States (J74.A3 latest edition RR; Gen)
from 1925; revised every 6 years, with annual supplements
appearing between editions
United States. United States Statutes at Large (XXKF50.U55 Gen)
chronological arrangement of slip laws in bound sessional
volumes; includes lists of public and private laws and bills enacted
into law, and proclamations
Making of Modern Law Legal Treatises 1800-1926
Supreme Court decisions
United States. Supreme Court. Slip Opinions ( RR)
first printings of individual opinions, unbound: consult
reference staff
United States. Supreme Court. United States Reports (K60.A1
Gen)
bound volumes of all opinions and other written materials for
each court term, with topical index
Other judicial materials
consult staff in the Law Library
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