Congressional Publications Indexed by the Congressional Information Service

Scope

The following are all indexed by the Congressional Information Service:

American State Papers, 1789-1839	U.S. Congressional Committee Prints, from the earliest publications through 1969
Legislative Histories, 1970+	U.S. Serial Set. 1789+
U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings, 1833+	Unpublished U.S. Senate Committee Hearings, 1823-1968

Types of CIS Microform

Hearings
Both houses of Congress hold hearings into proposed legislation. The text of these hearings on microform includes testimony of witnesses and discussion of the legislation.

Committee Prints
Committee prints are called the “homework of Congress”. Prepared by committee research staffs, by the Library of Congress, or by independent consultants, they have been a means of providing members with the authoritative background information needed to consider complex issues of national policy.

Serial Set
The U.S. Serial Set includes material related to Congressional bills that does not fall neatly into the above categories. This may include:

Congressional publications, such as committee reports on public and private legislation, House and Senate journals, directories, rule manuals, and histories of Congress and the Capitol

Executive branch publications, including Department and agency annual reports and special recurring publications

Nongovernmental publications, including reprints from magazines and newspapers, professional journals, etc.

How to search the collection

Indexing

The first step in finding this material is in knowing where it is indexed. Different indexes are available depending on the date of the bill

ProQuest Congressional
Online indexing available from 1789 onward; some full text available online after 1980

Serial Set Index (Reference Z1223 Z9 C65 1975)

U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings Index (Reference KF 40 C57)
Multi-part index of Congressional hearings from 1833 to 1969, divided according to time periods. Each set lists hearings by number and indicates the CIS access information for locating that hearing on microfiche. Indexing is also available by bill name and by organization or agency. A numerical listing of bill numbers lists hearings held on that bill. The sets are organized as shown below:

Part 1: 23rd-64th Cong. (Dec. 1833-Mar. 1917)
Part 2: 65th-68th Cong. (Apr. 1917-Mar. 1925)
Part 3: 69th-73rd Cong. (Dec. 1925-1934)–
Part 4: 74th-78th Cong. (1935-1944)–
Part 5: 79th-82nd Cong. (1945-1952)–
Part 6: 83rd-85th Cong. (1953-1958)–
Part 7: 86th-88th Cong. (1959-1964)–
Part 8: 89th-91st Cong. (1965-1969)

Locating Microfilm – Pre-1970

For Congressional activity prior to 1982, nearly all information is available on microfiche. This is available in the microform reading room in Microfiche Cabinets 24-30. On any index citation, note the CIS (Congressional Information Service) number, the designation for the type of document (Published Hearing, Unpublished Hearing, Committee Print, Serial-Set) and the designation of the appropriate chamber (S for Senate; H for House of Representatives).

Published Hearings (Pre-1970) (Pickler Memorial Library has complete set.)
Cabinet 24 Drawer 5 – Cabinet 25

Unpublished Senate Hearings (1823-1964, 1965-1968)
Cabinet 27 Drawers 1-2

Committee Prints (Pre-1970)
Cabinet 26 Drawers 5-6

Serial Set (1789-1969)
Cabinet 27 Drawer 4 – Cabinet 28 Drawer 7

Locating Microfilm – 1970+

CIS/Serial Set Collection (1970-1983)
Cabinet 29 Drawer 1 – Cabinet 30 Drawer 8

From 1970-1983, hearings, committee prints, and serial set items are interfiled together under the designation CIS/Serial Set.
The CIS numbering system from 1970 is important to understand. Numbers look like this: H491 or S232 or J261 (H is for House, S is for Senate, and J is for Joint Committee.)

The first two digits represent a particular committee and are used continuously each year. The LAST DIGIT represents the TYPE of material. This is VERY IMPORTANT to note when using the indexes. Items ending with:
0 = House or Senate documents or special publications
1 = Hearings
2 = Committee prints
3 = House or Senate reports
4 = Senate Executive reports
5 = Senate Executive documents (Senate treaty documents)

Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) Collection (1983+)
Cabinets 60-64

From 1983 onward, hearings and committee prints are interfiled with other government documents and accessed by SuDoc number (e.g. Y4 ). This collection is not complete and receipt of the microfiche may lag by a year or more. Serial Set items continue to be housed in the CIS Collection

ProQuest Congressional
Index of Congressional hearings and publications available from 1789 onward. Searchable by a variety of fields, including P.L. number, bill number, committee, or sponsor.