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collections: government documents -- Congressional documents.

Continental Congress (1774-1789)

Journals of the Continental Congress
35 volumes (9 missing). Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1904-1934.
SUDOCS Number: LC 4.5:

Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789
26 volumes. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1976-2000.
SUDOCS Number: LC 1.34:

Proceedings and Debates

Annals of Congress (1789-1824)
Congressional Debates (1824-1837)
Congressional Globe (1836-1873)
Congressional Record (1873-to date)

These four series provide a record of Congressional debates and speeches made on the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congressional Record is also notable for including copies of letters, articles, and other materials that members arrange to be inserted into the transcript.

The UNO Library has a very strong collection of bound volumes from all four series extending from the 1st Congress (1789-1790) through the 98th Congress (1983-1984). The most significant gap lies in the mid-1890s. In addition to the bound volumes, the library owns a microfilm archive covering all four series from the 1st Congress through the 94th Congress (1975-1976). The archive continues with microfiche beginning with the 95th Congress (1977-1978).

Distribution of the bound Congressional Record ceased after 1984; as a consequence, the library keeps the daily paper issues until they are replaced by microfiche copies of the bound edition. The U.S. Government Printing Office also maintains a searchable database for the Congressional Record extending back to the 103rd Congress (1994), and it is freely available on the Internet at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html.

Congressional Serial Set

Established with the 15th Congress (1817-1818), the Congressional Serial Set contains committee reports and other documents created during Congressional deliberations. Serial Set volumes are numbered sequentially (1, 2, 3, etc.), and they now extend to over 14,000. During the 19th Century, Congress found it convenient to include copies of many documents prepared by the Executive departments and agencies, and this practice contributed to making the Serial Set a remarkably rich Federal archive.

Researchers will find original paper volumes (some rebound) for about 7,500 Serial Set volumes shelved in Government Documents. Search the phrase "serial set" as a title in the Library Catalog to find three records which taken together provide a complete inventory of the paper volumes. [Perform this Search in a new window]. The oldest is V. 338 from the 25th Congress, 3rd Session (1838-1839). The library's holdings grow stronger over time until they are almost complete from 1940 to 1996.

Overall, however, only about one-half of the Serial Set is available in paper. Distribution of the bound Serial Set volumes ceased after the 104th Congress (1993-1994), but the library continues to receive and catalog microfiche copies of individual reports and documents.

The library purchased a microfiche archive that includes all the Serial Set volumes published through the 91st Congress, 1st Session (1969). This archive also encompasses the American State Papers, a separate compilation of federal documents which extends from 1789-1838. An index to the American State Papers and the Serial Set covering the 1st Congress (1789-1790) through the 91st Congress, 1st Session (1969) is shelved in the 2nd Floor Indexes area at J74 .C65. Beginning with the 91st Congress, 2nd Session (1970), the Serial Set is indexed by the CIS Index, which is shelved in the 2nd Floor Indexes area at KF49 .C62.

Researchers who prefer to consult an electronic index may search the Congressional Universe database (http://library.unomaha.edu/research/eresources/detailview.php?iid=29] database. The historical file, Congressional Indexes, 1789-1969 and its companion CIS Index (1970-the present), combine to provide complete indexing for the Serial Set as well as other Congressional documents. The electronic CIS Index also includes links to online documents as they become available. All researchers may use Congressional Universe while in the library; offsite access is restricted to current UNO faculty, students, and staff.

In 2005, the library purchased an online account from the Readex company which provides access to scanned images of the Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 and the American State Papers, 1789-1838. The Serial Set database remains under construction with time coverage extending to the mid-1870's at the time of this writing. The Readex databases have opened new avenues for searching these important archives, combining both detailed indexing and keyword access. Image quality is high and pages appear in color when the original document was printed in color. All researchers may use the Readex databases while in the library; offsite access is restricted to current UNO faculty, students, and staff.

The Library of Congress, as one component of its American Memory online archive, has embarked on a long-term project to digitize Congressional documents and to make them freely available on the Internet. They have made significant progress on the American State Papers and Congressional Serial Set, as well as other publications such as the House Journal and Senate Journal. These collections may be viewed at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html. The Readex databases provide a much more sophisticated search interface and elaborate indexing, but the Library of Congress' online archive remains important for its commitment to open access.

Published Congressional Hearings

Congressional committees hold hearings primarily as a means to gather information to instruct their deliberations. The witnesses who testify often represent organizations spanning the entire breadth of American society, and their remarks provide insight into the partisan conflicts that mark the nation's political and social life. Witnesses frequently submit documents to supplement their testimony, and such materials are often inserted into the hearing transcript. In many cases these inserted materials constitute primary historical documents that remain otherwise unavailable.

Congress did not hold regular hearings until well into the 19th Century, but over the course of time hearings grew to become a central feature of the legislative process. Most hearing transcripts were not included within the Congressional Serial Set, so the library acquired copies by purchasing a microfiche archive that encompasses the hearings published from the 23rd Congress (1833-1834) through the 91st Congress, 1st Session (1969). Indexes to the published hearings are shelved in the 2nd floor Indexes area at J69 .C56, and electronic indexing is available in Congressional Universe.

Unpublished Congressional Hearings

The publisher of the hearings microfiche archive discovered about 10,000 transcripts that were never distributed. Over the course of time Congressional committees have varied in their willingness to compile, edit, and publish transcripts. In some cases, political considerations may have prompted a committee to forego publication. In other cases, committees considered the hearings to be internal working papers and not public records.

The microfiche archive of unpublished Congressional hearings includes primary historical documents that have largely been unavailable to researchers. The unpublished hearings archive encompasses the Senate from the 18th Congress (1823-1824) through the 92nd Congress (1975-1976) and the House of Representatives from the 22nd Congress (1831-1832) through the 88th Congress (1963-1964). Indexes are shelved in the 2nd floor Indexes area at J69 .C66, and researchers may also use the Congressional Universe database for electronic indexing.

Congressional Committee Prints

Congressional committees occasionally prepare or commission special reports to assist their deliberations, and many of these reports, called "committee prints," receive little distribution beyond the halls of Congress. Researchers may discover committee prints to be important sources, but they can prove unusually difficult to locate. Recognizing their value and rarity, the UNO Library acquired a microfiche archive of 15,000 committee prints spanning 140 years from the 21st Congress (1829-1830) through the 91st Congress, 1st Session (1969).

Indexes to the Committee Prints archive are shelved in the 2nd Floor Indexes area at J74 .C66 1980, and they are also indexed in the Congressional Universe database.

Senate Executive Documents and Reports

The Constitution of the United States requires that the Senate ratify treaties, and its treaty deliberations result in special committee reports and documents that often remain absent from the Congressional Serial Set. The UNO Library purchased a microfiche archive spanning the 15th Congress (1817-1818) through the 91st Congress, 1st Session (1969) to fill this gap in its collection.

An index to the Senate Executive Documents and Reports is shelved in the 2nd Floor Indexes area at J69 .C57 1987, and researchers may also consult the Congressional Universe database for electronic indexing.

The CIS Index and Non-depository Microfiche Collection

The UNO Library currently receives paper or microfiche copies of almost all documents issued by Congress and distributed by the Federal Depository Library Program. However, a significant number of Congressional documents never see depository distribution.

Beginning with the 91st Congress, 2nd Session (1970), the CIS Index has provided researchers with comprehensive indexing and abstracting for Congressional publications. The UNO Library maintains a subscription to the CIS Index, and it purchases microfiche copies of those Congressional documents that do not benefit from depository distribution. The microfiche are filed in the CIS cabinets along the south wall of the 1st floor, and the index volumes are shelved in the 2nd floor indexes area at KF49 .C62. The Congressional Universe database also provides electronic indexing for CIS Index collection.

Major Studies and Issue Briefs of the Congressional Research Service

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), headquartered in the Library of Congress, exists to prepare research reports to support Congressional deliberations. The CRS has been active since 1916, but most of its reports have been treated by Congress as internal working papers and have seen little public distribution. CRS reports often contain information that otherwise can be very hard to find, so the UNO Library purchased a microfilm and microfiche archive covering those reports completed between 1916 and 1998.

The microfilm reels include the reports issued between 1916 and 1990, while the microfiche cover 1991 through 1998. The microfilm and microfiche are filed in cabinets on the 1st Floor at JX1108 .M35. Indexes to the CRS reports are shelved in the Indexes area on the 2nd floor at the same call number.

Several efforts have been made to compile CRS reports and post them to the Internet for free access. The two most comprehensive collections are at:

OpenCRS Network: http://www.opencrs.com/
CRS Reports at the University of North Texas Libraries: http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/index.tkl

Few CRS reports completed prior to 1990 are available via the Internet, so the UNO Library's microfilm and microfiche collection remain critical to finding older reports.

James T. Shaw
Government Documents Librarian
September 2005