U.S. Federal Documents
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Statistics Public Policy Research Using Government Information
Guide to Government Publications Series
Introduction
Public policy research using government documents/publications
involves information prepared by the legislative and executive
branches. If there have been court decisions, these documents
may also be of value. An understanding of government agency responsibilities,
the information creation process, and methods of distribution
are all helpful.
The legislative process by which bills/resolutions are introduced,
hearings are held, reports are written, and votes are counted
creates huge amounts of
information for the legislation passed and not passed within a particular
congress.
In conducting public policy research using government information, there
is no one place to begin. Starting points can vary with the information already
known and with what is needed. Secondary sources and government documents
like
the congressional committee hearings and prints are useful sources for identifying
simple information such as a date, bill/resolution number, or public law
number. Congressional universe provides
help from
its main page including glossaries, procedures, and its Stages of the Legislative
Process. The databases Thomas and GPO
access provide helpful information.
The following information may be useful in efficiently finding
documents. Government information is available in various formats
including print, maps,
microforms,
cdroms, and the electronic Internet. Government agencies as well as many
private organizations have scanned large numbers of government documents
providing
access to many earlier print and manuscript documents in a digital format.
For access and distribution, the US
Government Printing Office is a key agency although not all documents
are available through this agency. Many of the creating agencies provide
their own access directly. All information
created by the government agencies is not currently available for national
security and privacy reasons but is made available eventually through the
National Archives and
Records Administration and
digital formats. Traditionally, all government agency records are stored
in the National Archives and Records Administration and eventually many
aremicrofilmed or otherwise preserved.
.
Libraries provide bibliographic access to government information
through online catalogs and databases, special print and electronic
indexes, and
various agency
and subject guides. Many databases provide more in depth information
to the contents than do most library catalogs.
The following list is arranged by broad categories with some
explanation of the contents, the formats, and locations in
the library.
Bills/Resolutions are the most specific pieces of information for beginning
research on
legislation or legislative tracing. Bills/resolutions begin with number
one within several series for each congress. It is essential to know
the date
and bill/resolution number since many times hundreds on a subject are
introduced in each congress. Bills/resolutions selectively may be printed
in the Congressional
record or in committee hearings.
For definitions of bills/resolutions, see Congressional Bills/Glossary
Definitions/Types of Legislation
How our Laws are Made
Bills/resolutions full text microfilm, microfiche, electronic
1817-1875 (Library of Congress) selected sessions of congress 1817
(House) and 1847 Senate http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwhbsb.html
1789-1931 (1st Congress-72nd Congress) Mfilm N.S. 35 Green Media-Microtext
1933/34-1983/84 (73rd Congress-98th Congress) Mfiche 1267 Green
SSRC-Microfiche
1989/90 (101st Congress) to date See the following databases:
Congressional universe GPO
access Thomas
Committee and subcommittee hearings/transcripts are available full
text in print, microfiche, and selectively via the Internet. The
print congressional committee hearings including the call numbers
are listed in Socrates and indexed in Congressional universe http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp.
Note the call number citation as SUDOC:Y4 for print and CIS-NO:
H617-5 for microfiche format. The print hearings are located in
the government documents stacks. The Law Library also collects
congressional committee hearings selectively.
Committee hearings full text in microfiche
1833-1956 Mfiche 34 SSRC
1833-1936 Unpublished House Committee hearings Mfiche 1049 SSRC
mcrofiche; Hastings Law School Library has the complete fiche collection.
1965-1968 Unpublished Senate Committee hearings Hastings Law School
Library
1993/94 (103rd Congress)- GPO Access
1989/90 (101st Congress)- Congressional Universe
Committee hearings full text in
print
Search Socrates by subject, title, committee
Selected committee hearings via
1993/94 (103rd Congress)- GPO Access
1989/90 (101st Congress)- Congressional Universe
Committee
reports and documents are available full text
in print, microfiche, and via the Internet. The committee reports
are indexed in Congressional
Universe and note the call number under SuDocs: Y1. The Law
Library also collects congressional reports and documents. The
reports and documents
are eventually bound into the Congressional serial set and housed
in the federal documents stacks (Y1.1/2:serial set number ).
The bound volumes are arranged by congress and session. Within
the
volumes, the reports are arranged by number. The report series
includes the reports on bills/resolutions, and the documents
series includes executive agency and private organization reports.
1789-1969
mfiche 1808 SSRC microfiche 1971 (91st Congress to date http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp
1817-1980 U.S. Congressional Serial Set full text (Readex) Print
Y1.1/2: 11304 to date fed-docs
American State Papers is
the 38 volume set which includes executive and legislative documents
found in archives or in manuscript records
of the House and Senate. The set is organized by broad classes
including foreign affairs, Indian affairs, finance, commerce
and
navigation, military affairs, naval affairs, Post Office, public
lands, claims, and miscellaneous. Indexes are provided in the
last volume of each class. The volumes are also indexed in Congressional
universe. These documents will
eventually be available in full text in the online U.S. Congressional
Serial Set (Readex). Earliest to 1969 Mfiche 1908 SSRC Y 1.1/2:01-038
fed-docs stacks 1817-1980 electronic see database U.S. Congressional
Serial Set (Readex)
Congressional Debates and
Proceedings The recordings of the debates and proceedings on
the floor of the
congress have been issued under
four titles including the Annals, Register of debates, the Globe,
and currently the Congressional record. The set of volumes is
available in print in the federal government documents stacks
as follows
and are available full text electronically via Congressional
universe , GPO
access,
and Thomas. 1789-1875 years
are available full via the Library
of Congress.
The annals 1789- 1824 (1st Congress though first session 18th
Congress) Register of debates,18th Congress, 2nd Session through
the 25th
Congress, 1st Session (1824-37). Globe, the congressional debates
of the 23rd through 42nd Congresses (1833-73). Congressional
record, 1873 to date. X/congress/vol fed-docs Print
Laws, Codes, Regulations
Public and Private Laws
U.S. laws are issued as unbound separate pamphlets known as "slip
laws" which are bound into the permanent United States statutes
at large and are also available electronically. These bound volumes
represent the laws passed by each session of congress and include
indexes. To locate a particular law the "public law" number
and date is essential and can be found in the following sources
by subject and popular name. To find the number, check the publications
United States Code, Congressional record or secondary sources like
Shepard's acts and cases by popular names, federal and state shelved
in the Information Center. A complete print set is available in
the Information Center (KF61.U55).
The United States statutes at large 1789-1875
are available full
text and for more current
in Congressional
universe and
Thomas
Codification of the law
Every 6 years the laws with annual supplements are codified into
50 broad titles and issued as the United States code (USC) is available
in print and electronically. The volumes includea subject and popular
names index volumes. This also source provides assistance in finding
the public and private law numbers in the United States statutes
at large.
The current edition is shelved in the Information Center (KF61.U55).
Earlier editions beginning in 1924 are available in the Law Library.
The USC is also available electronically via GPO access, 1994 to
current
Regulations
Congress has delegated to departments and agencies within the executive
branch with the power to issue rules, regulations, and administrative
rulings which have the force of law.
Since 1938, the proposed and final rules have been printed in the
daily Federal
register If
the proposed rules and regulations are approved, they are published
in the annually revised Code of federal regulations: title 3 (CFR).
The Federal
register is
also available in print from 1936 to current in the Law School
Library and for the last five years in Green fed-docs (AE2.106).
The Code
of federal regulations: title 3 (CFR), 1938 to date is available
in the Green Library Information Center (KF70.A3). For
the other titles, only the latest edition is housed in the Green
Library Information Center (KF70.A3). The complete collection is
available in the Law Library.
Congressional Support Agencies
In order to carry out its responsibilities, the congress over the
years created agencies to assist its members in their work. These
organizations include the Congressional
Budget Office,
Congressional Research
Service,
and the General Accountability
Office (formerly the General Accounting
Office)
The Technology Assessment
Office closed its office in 1995 existing for 23 years.
The Congressional Budget Office
print publications are shelve in the federal government documents
stacks and are listed in Socrates.
The microfiche collection is available in SSRC microfiche (mfiche
57). Publications are available full
text ,
The Congressional
Research Service (CRS) publication Major studies and issue
briefs is available in several
locations in microfilm and microfiche with print indexes and beginning
in 1990 electronically hosted by the University of Texas
1916-1990 Mfilm n.s. 1537 Media-Microtext
Print guide: Z733.U63C652/1916-89 SSRC
1991- Mfiche 1655 SSRC
Print guide: Z733.U63C653
General
Accounting Office Full text reports are available
on the agency web page beginning in 1995, are also
indexed selectively in Statistical
universe ,
and the print titles is listed in Socrates.
The Technology
Assessment Office was responsible for providing assistance with the complex
technical
information needed by the congress. In 1995, the agency was cancelled
by the congress. Publications are available in print and indexed
in Socrates,
microfiche (mfiche 57) and are indexed in Congressional universe. Full text
of the documents available on cdrom Y3.T22/2:2L52/v.1-5/cd SSRC desk. And http://www.wws.princeton.edu/ota/
Presidential documents Presidential
speeches, statements, executive orders and proclamations are issued in several
Federal Register Office publications
including the Public
papers of the president and Weekly
compilation of president documents. The numbered executive orders and proclamations
are collected and also printed in the Code
of federal regulations, 1966 to
date
and in the daily Federal register, 1994 to date
The print collections for the Weekly compilation of presidential documents,
1965 to date (AE2.109) and the Public papers of the president Hoover to current
(AE2.ll4) are shelved in the federal documents stacks. The Budget of the United
States government with appendix, 1922 to date (PrEx2.8) and the Economic report
of the president, 1946 to date (Pr president) are shelved in the SSRC docs,
and all are available full text in GPO
access.
Coverage for the Budget is 1997 to date and for the Economic report from 1996
to date.
Selected Secondary Sources Secondary sources can provide background
for searching legislation and include periodicals, journals, newspapers, privately
published books, and the Internet. The creation and distribution of government
information is dictated by administrative rules, agency regulations, or public
laws which often specify where and when the information can appear. The following
sources are excellent places to begin researching specific programs or identifying
broad subjects of interest.
These sources include the necessary numbers, specific
titles, and dates to begin the research. Many federal government programs have
extensive legislative histories as the programs are renewed, renamed, or reinvented
as discreet separate programs, and it is often a complex task to sort out the
individual program being studied. Very current programs and programs of a national
security nature often have little or no information available.
Congressional Quarterly weekly reports, 1957 to date. JK1.C66 SSRC-reading
room; earlier volumes Green Stacks http://www.cq.com/
Congressional Quarterly almanac, 1957 to date. JK1.C663 SSRC reading room;
earlier volumes Green Stacks
Congress and the nation, 1945/46 to date. Issued for each presidential administration.
KF49.C65 SSRC-reading room
Congressional Quarterly’s guide to the congress of the United States.
5th ed. 2000. K1021.C565 2000 SSRC-reading room
Congressional Quarterly’s guide to the presidency. 2nd ed. 1996. JK516.C57
1996 SSRC-reading room
Elections
American National Election Studies (ANES)
CQ voting & elections
International almanac of electoral history. 3rd ed. 1991.
JF1001.M17 1990
Parliamentary and presidential elections around the world
America votes: a handbook: a handbook of contemporary American
election statistics, 1956 to date.
JK1967.A8 IC
American national election study, 1956 to date; Inter-University
Consortium for Political Research
JK1967.A83 codebooks Green Stacks
Guide to U.S. elections. 4th ed. 1994
JK1967.C662 IC ref
Selected Directories
The following directories include agency and personal names with
addresses and phone numbers. Many publications include email
addresses.
Congressional yellow book. JK1083.6 IC latest editio
Federal regulatory directory. Annual.
JK.F44 IC latest edition; earlier Green Stacks
Federal yellow book. Quarterly. JK6.F45 IC latest edition
Official
congressional directory, 1809 to date. Issued for each
session of congress. JK1011 .U5 SSRC 1995/96 (104th Congress) to
date.
US government
manual, 1935 to date. Annual. AE 2.108/2: Fed-docs
Stacks
1995/96 to date
US House of Representatives
United States Senate
Washington information directory. Annual.
F192.5.W32 IC latest edition; earlier editions Green Stacks
Last modified:
June 17, 2008
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