History 453A

A Seminar in American History since 1789

Selected Tools for Accessing 19th and 20th Century Primary Sources

Note: All the sources listed below can be found in the Government Documents Library (DOC) or the Main Bookstacks (STX).

This website is designed to be an aid in helping students in James Barrett's History 453A, a Seminar in American History since 1789.

LexisNexis Congressional
Accessible from the Government Documents Library U.S. Legislation, Laws & Regulations page, LexisNexis Congressional contains Congressional Indexes, 1789-1969 and Indexes to Unpublished Hearings.
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/orr/results.php?instid=258117

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign History Library
This links to the University of Illinois' History Library, which offers links to information on electronic journals, history website links, links to frequently used sources, and offers tips on reference questions and sources.
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/hix/

Congressional Publications

CIS Annual, 1970-
015.73C76 (Government Documents, North Bookcases)
Provides access to House and Senate hearings, reports, documents, and committee prints.

CIS Index to Unpublished U.S. House of Representatives Committee Hearings, 1933-1958.
Q.015.730532C4972 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Indexes approximately 4,140 unpublished House hearings. Includes an Index by Subjects and Organizations, an Index by Personal Names, and a Reference Bibliography. The hearings themselves are part of a microfiche set held by the Illinois State Library. 

CIS Index to Unpublished U.S. Senate Committee Hearings. 1823-1964.
015.73C496 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Indexes 7,300 unpublished U.S. Senate committee hearing transcripts. The hearings are available on microfiche and can be borrowed from the Illinois State Library, which also owns supplemental indexes for 1965-1972 and the supplemental microfiche collection for 1965-1968. 

CIS Index to U.S. Senate Executive Documents and Reports: Covering Documents and Reports Not Printed in the U.S. Serial Set. 1817-1969.
Q.015.730532C497 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases) 
This supplement to the CIS U.S. Serial Set Index consists of an index and a Reference Bibliography. 

CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings Index. 1833-1969.
015.73C497 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Indexes the text of committee hearings, most of which contain valuable expert testimony. Includes a Personal Name index and an Index by Subjects and Organizations. The Reference Bibliography gives complete bibliographical data--as well as the page number where each witness's testimony begins--for each hearing. Search the online catalog for the call number and location of each title that appears in the Reference Bibliography. 

CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Prints Index: From the Earliest Publications through 1969. 
015.73C762c (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Covers the monographic studies, analyses of bills, confidential staff reports, reference works, and hearings excerpts produced by congressional committee staff. 

CIS U.S. Serial Set Index. 1789-1969.
015.73C759 (Government Documents, Central Bookcases)
Indexes the 14,000 volumes-and more than 325,000 individual documents--of the U.S. Serial Set. Each volume of the Serial Set consists of publications that the House and Senate have had printed for their use and distribution, including the following: 

Congressional journals, administrative reports, directories, and manuals. 
Congressional reports on legislation. 
Reports resulting from congressionally commissioned or conducted investigations. 
Annual reports of federal agencies. 
Research and statistical reports of executive agencies. 
Reports of nongovernmental agencies. 

The index provides subject and keyword access, as well as finding lists for congressional reports and documents.  Note that volumes 2,817 to 13,914 can be found on Deck 1 East of the Main Stacks in print format. All other volumes are available on microfiche in the Government Documents Library. Selected reports and documents in print format are cataloged individually and can be found in the Main Stacks.

• Congressional Index. 1937-.
  328.73BC73c (STX; most recent in DOC)
  Used to locate bills by subject, sponsor, bill number, and law number. This is an excellent source for identifying the number of a bill. Includes bill abstracts, information on hearings, and votes. For legislation from the 96th Congress (1979) onward, the online service LEGI-SLATE may be a better source. LEGI-SLATE can be accessed from Government Documents Library Workstations #2, 3 and 6.

• Congressional Record. 1873-.
  1873-1975 Q.328.731Un34 (STX); 1976- DOC.X: (STX and DOC) A daily account of Congressional proceedings. Includes its own cumulated indexes for each year. Members of Congress are allowed to edit their remarks before publication.
  
• Congressional Research Service Index. 1916-.
  CDROM015.73C749 (DOC Computer Workstation #6)
  This CD-ROM provides access to Major Studies and Issue Briefs of the Congressional Research Service, a microform set that includes documents on nearly all topics of interest to Congress from 1914-15 to the present. The microfilm set for 1914-15 to 1990 can be found in STX under the call number FILM328.37M282. The microfiche that covers 1991 to the present is located in DOC under the call number MFICHE328.37M282. Note that many of these studies are also available in paper and can be accessed through the online catalog and/or card catalog.

Executive Branch Documents

• CIS Index to U.S. Executive Branch Documents, 1789-1909: Guide to Documents Listed in Checklist of U.S. Public Documents, 1789-1909, Not Printed in the U.S. Serial Set.
  Q.015.730534C497 (DOC)
  This title presents a complete annotated bibliography of all Executive Branch documents listed in the Checklist of Public Documents, 1789-1909. The introduction states that "the Checklist was the only systematic effort to provide a complete listing of all documents published by the U.S. Government in its first 120 years." Many, but not all, of the titles indexed by this source are available in print format at the UIUC Library.

• CIS Index to U.S. Executive Branch Documents, 1910-1932: Guide to Documents Not Printed in the U.S. Serial Set.
  Q.015.730534C4971910-1932 (DOC)

• Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. 1965-.
  1965-1980: 353.03Un3w (STX); 1980- DOC.GS4.114: (STX; most recent in DOC)
  All presidential public statements are included in this source. Indexes to its contents are bound with the set.

General Catalogs and Bibliographies

• Cumulative Subject Guide to U.S. Government Bibliographies, 1924-1973.
  015.73C913 (DOC)
  "Contains more than 40,000 entries by subject, alphabetically arranged, taken from 50 years of Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. . .Citations include full title, personal author, issuing agency, size, pagination, and Superintendent of Documents classification number."

• Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications
. 1895-.
015.73Un35 (DOC); DOC.GP3.8: (DOC)
Nothing comes as close to being a complete catalog of U.S. government publications as the Monthly Catalog. The Government Documents Library has its cumulated indexes for 1900-1971, 1971-1976, 1976-1980, and 1981-1985.

General Statistical Access Tools

The following print format indexes are located on the low bookcases near the Government Documents Library copier. The statistical tables they index can be found in the microfiche cabinets nearest to these bookcases. Each drawer contains microfiche for a single year and is labeled ASI, IIS, or SRI.

• American Statistics Index. 1973-.
  317.3Am33a (DOC: low bookcases)
  This set indexes all statistical tables appearing in U.S. government publications. For each year there is an index and abstract volume. Abstract volume references that include a bullet notation followed by an item number are not included in the accompanying microfiche set but can usually be located via the online catalog.

• Index to International Statistics. 1983-.
  016.31In3 (DOC: low bookcases) The UIUC Library has the accompanying microfiche set for only 1993 onward. To find the tables indexed through 1992, conduct a search on the online catalog for the titles (appearing in bold print) found in the abstract volumes.

• Statistical Reference Index. 1980-.
  016.3173St2 (DOC: low bookcases)
  This set indexes statistical tables published by state governments and selected private sources.

National Statistical Compendia

• Datapedia of the United States: 1790-2000: America Year by Year. Lanham: Bernan Press. 1994.
  Q.317.3K965d (DOC: shelved with DOC.C3.134/2:H62/789-970)

• Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970. 2 vols. Bureau of the Census, 1975.
  DOC.C3.134/2:H62/789-970/ (DOC: Economics 173 Collection)

• Statistical Abstract of the United States. Bureau of the Census. 1878-.
  317Un3s (STX); DOC.C3.134: (DOC: Economics 173 Collection)
  For volumes preceding 1955, see Call Number 317Un3s. Subsequent volumes can be found under both call numbers. Index entries may refer to page numbers or table numbers.

Federal Law

• United States Statutes at large. 1789-.
  DOC.GS4.111: and DOC.AE2.111: (DOC)
  Contains the original text of all U.S. federal laws.

• Shephard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names: Federal and State, 4th ed. Colorado Springs: Shepard's/McGraw-Hill, 1992.
  345Sh4s1992, vols. 1-3 (DOC: shelved after United States Statutes at Large).
  Indexes all U.S. federal and state laws.

Seminar in American History since 1789