CONGRESSIONAL INFORMATION FOR HISTORIANS

Monthly Catalog

Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications (monthly). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Superintendent of Documents, 1895--. GP 3.8.


This index has been issued monthly by the Government Printing Office since 1895. It is organized by issuing agency, with a variety of indexes to provide other kinds of access. Indexes refer to the entry number in the main section of the volume. Over time, the information in the entries and the indexes have changed, but there is usually at least an annual subject index with each volume. Author and title indexes are included with some ranges of years, and a United States Congressional Serial Set Supplement was issued with separate subject, author and title indexes for several years. The Serial Set Supplements were issued up to four years after the Congress which they index.

Because they cover a broad range of years, several privately published indexes are the easiest access points to the Monthly Catalog for 1895 to 1941:

Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, 1895-1899. Arlington, VA: Carrolton Press, 1977.

Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, 1900-1971. Arlington, VA: Carrolton Press, 1973-75.

Quinquennial Cumulative Personal Author Index, 1941--. Ann Arbor, MI: Pierian Press, 1971--

Cumulative Title Index to United States Public Documents, 1789-1976. Arlington, VA: United States Historical Documents Institute, 1979-82.

In 1941, the Government Printing Office started issuing author/title/subject indexes which cover periods of five or ten years each, making subject access much easier. This practice continued until 1976, when the main entries were expanded to conform with national standards for cataloging and a wider variety of annual indexes were printed. Two searchable versions of the Monthly Catalog are available on the Internet. The Government Printing Office version covers documents published by the U.S. Government since 1994 at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/adpos400.html. FirstSearch has a database which is only available to subscribers, but covers information back to 1976.

Sample Entry From 1966 Index:

Congress, Joint Committee on Organization of:
additional expenditures, report, 5752
hearings, 1791, 11595, 14368
joint committee print, 451
reports, 4087, 4170, 13173

Sample Entry From August 1966:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Washington, D.C. 20510

House Documents

NOTE--All House documents, entries for which are followed by a +, may be obtained from the House Document Room or from the issuing office.

House documents, 89th Congress.

11597318. National Science Foundation, its present and future. Report of Committee on Science and Astronautics, 89th Congress, 2d session; Feb. 1, 1966. 1966. xvii+118 p. il. (Serial M.) + • Item 996
11598320. Annual report of Secretary of Treasury on state of finances, fiscal year 1965. [1966] xxviii+813 p. ill.([Treasury Dept. doc. 3236.]) •(Available in departmental edition, $2.50, T1.1:965, and sent to depositories in that form. See Entry no. 12545.)
•Sent to Depository Libraries

Sample Entry: 1985 U.S. Congressional Serial Set Supplement Title Keyword Index

Foreign Relations for inquiries and investigations85-5835
"
on S. 1196..., International S85-5914
"
on S. 2608 together with additio85-6295

Sample Entry: 1985 U.S. Congressional Serial Set Supplement

85-5792
Y 1.1/3:97-31
NATO today : the alliance in evolution : a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate. -- Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1982.
vii, 102 p. : 24 cm.--(Document / 97th Congress, 2d session, Senate ; no. 97-31) Serial Set No.: 13440 "April 1982." "June 9, 1982." •Item 996-A, 996-B (microfiche)
1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization I. United States Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreigh Relations. II. Title: N.A.T.O. Today III. Title: The alliance in evolution IV. Series: Senate Document (United States. Congress (97th, 2nd session : 1982). Senate) ; no. 97-31. OCLC 08985287

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Copyright 1999 by Karen Hogenboom. Permission is granted to reproduce these pages for educational use provided this copyright notice is reproduced on each copy.