Congressional Resources in CRS Research Centers and the La Follette Congressional Reading Room
Order Code 98-76 C
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Congressional Resources
in CRS Research Centers and the
La Follette Congressional Reading Room
Updated September 25, 2001
Merete F. Gerli
Information Management Specialist
Information Research Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress
Congressional Resources in CRS Research Centers
and the La Follette Congressional Reading Room
Summary
Congressional staff and interns seeking quick facts, information, Congressional
Research Service publications, and reference and research assistance may come in
person to CRS facilities located in Library of Congress and in House and Senate
office buildings. These include the Senate, Longworth, and Rayburn Research
Centers, the La Follette Congressional Reading Room (LCRR), and the CRS
Publications Distribution Center. The LCRR and research centers make available
CRS products, access to Internet and online sources (including the CRS Web site and
the Legislative Information Service), magazine and newspaper collections and
indexing tools, a variety of standard reference books, and legislative and public policy
materials useful to congressional offices. Staff and intern user self-service is
welcomed, with guidance provided as needed by CRS reference staff.
This report describes types of CRS products and a selection of the most
frequently used printed and online reference sources available in the reading room and
research centers for use by congressional staff. These deal with legislation and public
policy; bills, congressional documents, laws, and regulations; Congress, elections, and
politics; the federal government; directories of organizations, associations,
corporations, state agencies, educational institutions, and the media; biographical
information; data on foreign countries and international affairs; quick facts and
statistics; and special collections such as quotations.
This report will be updated for each Congress.
Contents
CRS Centers and Reading Rooms on Capitol Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CRS Publications and Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CRS Web Site, the Legislative Information System, and Other Online Systems . 3
Articles on a Subject: Looking for Background Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CRS Info Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Magazine and Newspaper Articles—Indexes and Full Text Retrieval . . . . . 6
Issues of Magazines and Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Other Online Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bills, Congressional Documents, Laws, and Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CRS Web Site and Legislative Information System (LIS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
House Legislative Resource Center and Senate Document Room . . . . . . . . 7
Other Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Congress, Elections, and Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Overview of Congress and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Profiles of Members and Districts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Staff and Congressional Office Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Statistics on Congress and Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Census/Congressional District Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Federal Government: Executive and Judicial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Overview of Government Organization, Offices, and Functions . . . . . . . . 14
Budget, Outlays, and Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Current Names and Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Regulations and Regulatory Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Directories of Organizations, Corporations, and State Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . 18
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Political Action Committees and Lobbyists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Business Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Education and Internships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Media Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
State and Local Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Biographical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Foreign Countries and International Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Quick Facts, Statistics, and Quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Facts and Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Congressional Resources in CRS Research
Centers and the La Follette Congressional
Reading Room
CRS Centers and Reading Rooms on Capitol Hill
Numbers are geared to those in the diagram above.
1
La Follette Congressional Reading Room (LCRR)
7-7100
Madison Building, Room LM204
Monday - Thursday
8:30 - 8
Friday
8:30 - 6
Saturday
8:30 - 5
(Hours of service may change when Congress is not in session.)
CRS Product Distribution Center (PDC)
7-7132
Madison Building, Room LM206
Monday - Friday
8:30 - 6
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2
Jefferson Congressional Reading Room (JCRR)
Jefferson Building, Room LJ159
Monday - Friday
8:30 - 5:30
(for Members of Congress only)
3
Senate Research Center (SRC)
4-3550
Russell Building, Room B07
Monday - Friday
9 - 5:30
4
Longworth Research Center (LRC)
5-2030
Longworth HOB, Room B221
Monday - Friday
9 - 5:30
5
Rayburn Research Center (RRC)
5-6958
Rayburn HOB, Room B335
Monday - Friday
9 - 5:30
CRS Publications and Products
CRS publications and information packets are intended to provide overview and
background information on topics of current legislative and policy interest to
Congress. They are useful for briefing Members and legislative staff as well as
answering constituent requests.
CRS Info Packs are compilations of materials on topics and issues of interest to
Congress. They include CRS reports and issue briefs, newspaper and journal articles,
and guides to other resources. Each info pack is updated as legislation or news events
warrant. Examples include:
Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity (IP424A)
Campaign Finance (IP014C)
Grants and Foundation Support: Information on Government and Private Funding
(IP050G)
Immigration Issues (IP164I)
Social Security Reform (IP435S)
Terrorism (IP299T)
CRS Issue Briefs are concise briefing papers on key issues of interest to Congress.
They normally review policy options with pros and cons and are updated regularly
throughout the legislative session. Each contains a summary and background analysis,
and may contain a listing of pertinent legislation, a chronology, and a bibliography of
additional reports and information sources. Some CRS issue briefs of recent interest
include:
CRS Issue Brief IB97057, Global Climate Change: Market-Based Strategies to
Reduce Greenhouse Gases
CRS Issue Brief IB10037, Meat and Poultry Inspection Issues
CRS Issue Brief IB10039, The Minimum Wage: An Overview of Issues
CRS Issue Brief IB98017, Patient Protection and Managed Care
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CRS Issue Brief IB95112, Terrorism, the Future, and U.S. Foreign Policy
CRS Reports are written to address specific issues of concern to Congress. They
may take the form of policy analyses, statistical reviews, economic studies, fact sheets,
chronologies, bibliographies, and guides to handling certain types of requests or
research. Some examples of CRS reports include:
CRS Report RL30719, Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal
Assistance Programs
CRS Report RS20095, The Congressional Budget Process: A Brief Overview
CRS Report RL30343 ,Continuing Appropriations Acts: Brief Overview of Recent
Practices
CRS Report RL30165, Education Vouchers: Constitutional Issues and Cases
CRS Report RL30804, The Electoral College: an Overview and Analysis of Reform
Proposals
CRS Report RS20270 Renewable Energy and Electricity Restructuring
The CRS Web site [http://www.crs.gov/] provides full text of all CRS issue
briefs and many CRS reports and can be searched directly from terminals in
congressional offices or in all CRS Reader Services facilities. For more information,
see below.
Copies of info packs, issue briefs, and reports may also be obtained in all CRS
research centers, by calling the CRS Products Line (ext. 7-7132), by placing a request
via the CRS Web site [http://www.crs.gov/], by submitting requests in writing, by fax
(ext. 7-6745), or by visiting the CRS Products Distribution Center, LM-212.
CRS Web Site, the Legislative Information System,
and Other Online Systems
CRS Web Site
[http://www.crs.gov/]
The Congressional Research Service offers information designed and organized
for the exclusive use of congressional offices through the Internet. Congressional
staff may search the CRS Web site and the Legislative Information System (LIS)
directly from their office computers on Capitol Hill and district or state offices.
Designated terminals in the La Follette Congressional Reading Room and Senate and
House Research Centers may also be used by congressional staff to search CRS and
World Wide Web resources, Library of Congress catalogs, and other online files. The
CRS Web site includes:
! Floor Agenda: CRS Products
! Electronic Briefing Books
! Appropriations / Budget
! Legislative / Budget Process
! Constitution Annotated
! CRS publications by Current Legislative Issues
! Search All CRS Products: by title, author, summary, subject (about
3,000); full text search (about 700); by product number
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! CRS Services
Information about placing requests with CRS; phone numbers and contacts;
orientations, seminars, and institutes; and guidelines for interns and
volunteers.
! Congressional Staff Reference Desk
Links to Internet general reference materials (such as directories,
dictionaries, travel, and weather information), and specialized virtual
references tailored for legislative assistants, constituent caseworkers,
schedulers, press secretaries, and speech writers. This section includes the
CRS Grants Information Web page, useful in handling constituent requests.
! External Internet Links by Topic
! Library of Congress
Includes how congressional staff can request books from the Library’s
collections.
Legislative Information System
[http://www.congress.gov/]
The CRS Web site also links to the Legislative Information System (LIS),
specifically designed to track legislation and legislative activity, with tie-ins to CRS
products and other features exclusively available to Congress. Its public counterpart
is THOMAS [http://thomas.loc.gov], which constituents can use. The LIS provides
item, keyword, subject, and other searching to floor activities and schedules, bill
summary and status, bill text, votes, public laws, the Congressional Record;
committee reports, schedules, hearings, transcripts, and Home Pages; lists of House
and Senate Members and their Home Pages; news and periodical literature links;
support agencies and other government links; and other useful assistance and
guidance for congressional staff.
Other Online Systems Available for Congressional Staff Use
All CRS research centers and the La Follette Congressional Reading Room have
client PCs that congressional staff may use to access a variety of Web subscriptions
and other online resources. Internet bookmarks at congressional staff workstations
include:
! Archives USA — Search Manuscript Repositories
! Associations Unlimited
! Britannica Online
! Cartoons
! Computer Select (full text of PC trade magazines)
! CQ Weekly index (Congressional Quarterly)
! Contemporary Authors
! Current Biography 1940-present
! D&B Million Dollar Database (company profiles)
! Editorials and opinion pieces: American Media Columnists (columns
from over 600 U.S. and Canadian columnists)
! Editorials and opinion pieces: Opinion-Pages (English-language
editorials and opinion pieces from around the world)
! Ethnic Newswatch (ethnic, minority, Native American newspapers
and magazines)
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! Granger’s World of Poetry
! GrantSelect (grants available from government, private foundations,
corporations, universities, and other entities)
! Grove Dictionary of Art
! Grove Dictionary of Opera
! Health Policy Tracking Service Issue Briefs (National Council of
State Legislatures)
! Historical Abstracts
! Historical Newspapers Online (London Times and New York Times,
19th-20th c.)
! InfoTrac (popular, academic, and business magazine articles)
! JSTOR (historical runs of economic, political science, history
journals)
! LegalTrac (index to legal periodicals)
! NTIS (National Technical Information Service, index of U.S.
government-sponsored research)
! OCLC FirstSearch (periodical and newspaper indexes, some full-text
articles)
! Periodical Contents Index (humanities/social sciences journals)
! PolicyFile (indexes public policy news, research, and analysis)
! Project Muse (Johns Hopkins academic journals, e.g., Human Rights
Quarterly)
! ProQuest Direct and Finding Articles (indexing and full text,
newspapers and magazines)
! Publications and Broadcast Media
! ReferenceUSA (searchable directory of 11 million U.S. businesses)
! RLG Eureka (indexes to social sciences, arts and humanities)
! STAT-USA (Department of Commerce and other government
agencies)
! Terrorism (CRS Electronic Briefing Book)
! Terrorism news stories (via LexisNexis)
Articles on a Subject: Looking for Background
Information
The following sources enable congressional staff and interns to locate articles on
a topic by themselves. CRS subscribes to many Web and electronic full-text
periodical literature services that congressional staff can use in LCRR and research
centers. Congressional staff PCs in research centers and LCRR have bookmarks to
Online Systems Available for Congressional Staff Use (see above), which include full
text and indexes to periodical literature. For online searching, follow screen prompts,
or consult guide sheets available at each congressional staff workstation.
CRS Info Packs
If a CRS info pack exists on your topic, check it for news articles.
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Magazine and Newspaper Articles—Indexes and Full Text
Retrieval
ProQuest Direct. Provides summaries of articles from hundreds of magazines, plus
full text of many. Journals covered include magazines such as Atlantic, Black
Enterprise, Business Week, Current History, Fortune, Harper’s, Ms., New York
Review of Books, Science, Sports Illustrated, and Time; business articles cited or
reproduced include magazines such as Advertising Age, Computerworld, Journal of
Labor Research, Public Administration Review, and Survey of Current Business.
Access to a selection of full text newspapers and magazines that can be browsed by
date, ProQuest’s Finding Articles, is available via all client computers in LCRR and
all Research Centers.
OCLC/First Search (Web). Online searching of numerous indexes and abstracting
services, including Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS), Readers’ Guide
Abstracts, Dissertation Abstracts, and Newspaper Abstracts. Full text available for
some articles.
Newspaper Abstracts—Searchable via OCLC/First Search, these cover major
national and regional U.S. newspapers, including the Atlanta Constitution, Boston
Globe, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, New York
Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Coverage for most begin in the
mid-1980s; updated weekly.
Other Internet Sources—Newspapers and magazines, full text and indexing, are
being added to the World Wide Web daily, including U.S., international, and even
some U.S. college newspapers. A number of such sources are bookmarked at client
PCs in LCRR and research centers. Names and descriptions of services may also be
located via the CRS Home Page under "Congressional Staff Reference Desk/Media
Services." The Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room Web site also gives
information about newspapers, periodicals, and government publications.
[http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/ncp/ncp.html]
Printed Indexes to Magazines and Newspapers—These are available in the La
Follette Congressional Reading Room, the Library of Congress Newspaper and
Current Periodical Reading Room (LM-133 Madison) and the Law Library Reading
Room (LM-201 Madison). Magazine indexes in LCRR include Readers’ Guide to
Periodical Literature and Book Review Digest; newspaper indexes include the New
York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. Also available are indexes
to news information and summaries, such as Facts on File.
Issues of Magazines and Newspapers
Current Issues of Magazines—Especially the major national news, business, and
public policy magazines—can be found in the La Follette Congressional Reading
Room and all Research Centers. Most CRS facilities have magazines on public policy
issues, such as CQ Weekly and National Journal; news weeklies, such as Time and
Newsweek; business news magazines, such as Business Week and Fortune; and
popular magazines, such as Consumer Reports and People. Most CRS facilities also
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have some years of back issues for magazines they receive. Collections vary
depending upon space—ask the librarian.
Major national current newspapers in the La Follette Congressional Reading Room
and Research Centers include 3 months’ worth of the New York Times, Washington
Post, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Times, and USA
Today.
The Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room (Room LM-133 Madison)
holds additional current newspapers and magazines, often a year of many magazines
received by the Library. Copying machines may be used free of charge by
congressional staff holding current Hill identification cards.
Older issues of periodicals are housed in the Library of Congress book stacks.
These bound volumes may be requested for use in the La Follette Congressional
Reading Room.
Other Online Sources
Many congressional offices subscribe to NEXIS/LEXIS, WESTLAW,
DIALOG, and other commercial online systems for their staff and interns. Because
of budget constraints, the La Follette Congressional Reading Room and House and
Senate Research Centers are unable to offer self-searching of these sources to
congressional staff.
Bills, Congressional Documents, Laws, and
Regulations
(Text, summaries, and status)
CRS Web Site and Legislative Information System (LIS)
The LIS, accessible via the CRS Web site, provides bill summary and status, full
text of legislation and public laws, full text of committee reports, hearings, and other
documents, and the Congressional Record for the current and earlier Congresses.
The system also gives (and is searchable by) committee, sponsorship, and
cosponsorship; identification of identical bills; and other information. Congressional
staff may also call House LEGIS (ext. 4-2971 or 5-1772) or Senate LEGIS (ext. 4-
7106) for status information on bills in the current Congress; and House Information
Resources (HIR; ext. 5-6002) and Senate Legislative Information System (ext. 4-
1517) for information on online systems available to Capitol Hill offices.
House Legislative Resource Center and Senate Document
Room
House and Senate document rooms provide to congressional staff and the public
copies of House and Senate bills and resolutions, committee and conference reports,
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public laws, and congressional documents for current and some retrospective
Congresses.
Legislative Resource Center (Office of the Clerk of the House)
B-106 CANNON
For Current Congress
Phone: ext. 6-5200 or (202) 226-5200
Bills and Resolutions
Hours: 9-6 Monday-Friday
Public Laws
Internet: [http://clerkweb.house.gov]
Committee Reports
(available to House offices only)
House Calendars
House Documents
Other
Statements of Disbursements
For past Congresses
Federal Election Campaign Act
(for House staff only)
Reports
Financial Disclosure Statements
House Documents
Lobby Registrations
Public Laws
Senate Document Room (Office of the Secretary of the Senate)
B04 HART
Current Congress only
Phone: ext. 4-7701 or (202) 224-7701
Senate Bills and Resolutions
Recording (orders): ext. 4-1356
Current/past Congresses
Hours: 9-5:30 Monday-Friday
Committee and Conference Reports
Senate and House Documents
Public Laws
Treaties and Executive Reports
Internet: [http://webster.senate.gov/secretary/docroom/doc_room.htm]
(available to Senate offices only)
Other Sources
CIS Index and CIS Abstracts. Washington, Congressional Information Service,
monthly with annual compilations.
CIS provides brief abstracts of all types of congressional publications:
committee hearings, committee prints, House and Senate documents, reports,
and special publications, Senate executive reports, and treaty documents.
Detailed indexes cover subject, name (including names of witnesses at hearings),
and bill, report, and document numbers. CIS also provides legislative histories
of public laws. The La Follette Congressional Reading Room and the Senate
Research Center have CIS Index and CIS Abstracts. LCRR also can search the
CIS CD-ROM Congressional Masterfile I & II, covering congressional hearings
and documents from 1789 through the 105th Congress. Copies of the documents
identified may be available from House or Senate document rooms (see above)
or on CIS microfiche, which may be used in the LCRR.
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United States Code Congressional and Administrative News. St. Paul, West
Publishing. Semimonthly when Congress is in session; monthly at other times.
Includes full text of all public laws, legislative history, executive orders,
presidential proclamations, administrative regulations, messages of the President,
and popular names of laws. Current issues contain an index/digest of bills
enacted.
United States Code and United States Statutes at Large. Washington, GPO.
Once Congress passes a bill, and the President signs it into law, it is
assigned a number and published by the Government Printing Office, first as a
slip law and later in annual volumes of the U.S. Statutes at Large. All laws of
a general and permanent nature are eventually consolidated and organized
(codified) by subject in the United States Code (revised every six years). The
U.S. Code Annotated (St. Paul, MN, West), available in the La Follette
Congressional Reading Room and the Senate and Rayburn Research Centers,
reproduces the Code together with citations for judicial opinion, historical notes,
digests, encyclopedia and other references, and other editorial aids. The Code
Annotated also includes a general subject index and subject indexes in all
volumes, useful tables, and continuous supplementation by pamphlet
supplements, annual pocket parts, and replacement volumes to facilitate
research.
Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations. Washington, GPO.
Administrative rules and regulations and other notices issued by federal
departments and agencies are published on a regular basis in the Federal
Register (published daily except Sunday, Monday, and the day following a legal
holiday). These include proposed as well as final rules and regulations,
schedules of agency hearings and miscellaneous agency announcements, and
presidential proclamations and executive orders. Final rules and regulations
subsequently appear, arranged by broad subject, in the Code of Federal
Regulations (revised once a year on a quarterly basis).
Internet: [http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara001.html]
Congress, Elections, and Politics
A variety of reference works and CRS products cover Congress and the
legislative process. This section discusses the standard printed reference sources on
Congress available in the La Follette Congressional Reading Room and House and
Senate Research Centers.
Overview of Congress and Activities
Congress A to Z. 3rd ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1999.
In dictionary format, provides succinct entries on congressional procedures
and vocabulary, such as “appropriations bills,” “gerrymandering,” “legislative
process,” “adjournment,” profiles of past and present congressional leaders; brief
histories of committees; and numerous other topics relevant to congressional
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activity and history. Detailed index. In similar format, CQ also publishes
Elections A-Z (1st ed., 1999) and The Presidency A-Z (2nd ed., 1998).
Types of questions that can be answered:
What do the House and Senate Parliamentarians do?
How does the House Ways and Means committee differ from
Appropriations?
What are the various leadership positions in the House and Senate?
Can someone explain reapportionment and redistricting for my constituent?
What is Congress’ role in amending the U.S. Constitution?
CQ Weekly. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Weekly.
Useful summary of activities of Congress; factual and timely; full reports
on the progress of major bills (“Status of Major Legislation”); voting records
and activities of individual Members; congressional interaction with the
executive; roll call votes included.
Types of questions that can be answered:
What are the characteristics of the freshmen elected to Congress in 2000?
What is the background on the controversy over banking reform?
Who and what is Member Q, who was just elected a week or two ago?
What would the President’s budget allow for military defense? for
pollution control? the federal prison system?
Congressional Record. Washington, GPO. Daily when Congress is in session.
Contains the edited transcript of the activities on the floor of the House and
Senate. The “Daily Digest” section includes summaries of action in each
chamber, committee hearings, bills signed, and committee meetings scheduled
for the following day. The Record full text and the Index are searchable online
via the LIS [http://www.congress.gov/]. Printed indexes, searchable by
Member’s name, bill number, and subject, are issued twice a month.
Types of questions that can be answered:
When was the most recent list of lobbyists published in the Record?
My Member put an editorial in the Record 2 years ago; how can I find it?
When was the last debate on the federal pay raise?
Who voted against the President’s economic package in the Senate?
Guide to Congress. 5th ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1999.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the U.S. Congress, covering its
history, congressional powers and functions, the legislative process,
congressional procedures, and support agencies in depth. Well organized and
indexed.
Profiles of Members and Districts
Almanac of American Politics. Washington, National Journal. Biennial.
Informative, opinionated descriptions of states and districts; biographical
information on Members; ratings of Members by various interest groups;
Members’ votes on key issues. Similar in format to:
Politics in America. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Biennial.
Descriptions of states and districts; biographical information on Members;
key votes of Members; how interest groups rate Members.
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Types of questions that can be answered:
How is Representative X rated by the various rating groups?
Was the Member for or against the ban on chemical weapons?
How much did Senator Y spend in his last election?
What’s the ethnic makeup of the first district of New Mexico? the state?
How successful has Representative Z been in pushing programs for her
district?
Where does Senator X stand on approving the death penalty for drug-
related murders?
What has been the political situation in the first district of California in
recent years?
Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1996. Washington,
Congressional Quarterly, 1996.
Provides brief official biographical sketch of every Member of Congress,
more than 11,000 from 1789 through the 104th Congress. Also, for each
Congress, gives complete listing, by state, of Senators and Representatives
(including results of special elections or appointments due to death or resignation
of an elected Member); dates of each session and of special sessions (if any); and
key leadership.
The Web version [http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp]
contains up-to-date biographical profiles.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Did Senator X from Wisconsin serve three consecutive terms; or did he
lose an election?
Who served as Representatives from New York in the 1930s?
How many Longworths have served in the U.S. Congress?
Congressional Directory. Washington, GPO. Biennial.
General directory of Members, committees, and subcommittees, with home
addresses of congressional officials and others in the legislative branch. Other
useful information for congressional offices includes: lists of embassies, foreign
embassies and ambassadors in Washington as well as American embassies and
ambassadors abroad; statistical section with tables of votes casts and sessions of
Congress; biographical information on judges, lists of federal courts; information
on the Capitol and buildings, including maps; names of press representatives and
services. LCRR and the Senate Research Center have collections of old
Congressional Directories. The current Directory is available on the Web:
[http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/cong016.html].
Types of questions that can be answered:
How many Supreme Court justices are over 70 years old?
Who’s the ambassador from Sweden, and what’s his title?
Has any session of Congress lasted longer than 365 days?
Which Senator and Representative have served in Congress the longest?
Who is in charge of the Capitol Page School?
When was the Russell Senate Office Building built?
Congressional Districts in the 1990's. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1993.
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Reflecting 1990 census data and congressional redistricting, provides
narrative descriptions of districts, including demography and economics, voting
trends, major newspapers and television stations in the district, military
installations, businesses, and other major employers.
Congressional Yellow Book. Washington, Leadership Directories. Quarterly.
Frequently updated directory of names, telephone numbers, addresses of
Representatives, Senators, and staff; House and Senate offices, joint committees
and staff; leadership and Member organizations; and congressional support
agencies. For each state, provides district maps, lists state delegations, and
gives zip codes by congressional district.
Types of questions that can be answered:
What’s the phone number of the organization, Former Members of
Congress?
Who’s the chief counsel of the Committee on Indian Affairs?
What’s the number of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus? How many
Members belong?
Whom can I contact for a list of the Vietnam Veterans in Congress?
Staff and Congressional Office Information
Almanac of the Unelected: Staff of the U.S. Congress. Washington, Almanac
Publishing. Annual.
In-depth biographical profiles of senior congressional staff of House and
Senate Leadership offices and committees. Includes photographs.
Types of questions that can be answered:
My art teacher’s husband works for the Senate Budget Committee. What
is his position and was he the one who spoke at a recent budget
briefing?
A senior staff member on the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch
recently met with the Librarian of Congress; I know what he looks
like but forgot his name.
Congressional Staff Directory. Alexandria, VA, CQ Staff Directories. Three times
per year.
Directory of 16,000 people who run the legislative branch, with
biographical profiles of 3,200 key congressional staff. Also includes jurisdiction
of committees; lists of subcommittees and their staffs; district/state office
addresses and telephones; 14,000 cities and counties with congressional districts
(easy to refer mail); names, addresses, and telephone numbers of state
governors.
Types of questions that can be answered:
In which congressional district is Beaver Dam, KY?
Does the Senate Committee on Armed Services deal with naval petroleum
reserves in Alaska?
Where can I get some information about the staff director of the House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence?
Who is on the Joint Economic Committee?
CRS-13
Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide for the 107th Congress.
Washington, Congressional Management Foundation, 2000.
Offers ideas, models, and advice for managing a congressional office,
including managing the Member’s transition to Congress; selecting committee
assignments; hiring staff; developing an office budget and a first-term agenda;
defining the Member’s role in the office; cultivating leadership skills; and
selecting Washington and district office space. Also publishes Frontline
Management, a Guide for Congressional District/State Offices; and biennial
Senate and House staff employment and salary surveys.
Statistics on Congress and Politics
America Votes; A Handbook of Contemporary American Election Statistics. New
York, Macmillan. Biennial.
Statistics by state of voting since 1945 for President, Senator,
Representative, governor; statistics by county and ward of the vote in the most
recent election for President, governor, Senator. Maps of each state, large cities,
congressional districts. Brief descriptions of political situation in each state.
Vital Statistics on American Politics. Washington, Congressional Quarterly.
Biennial.
A wealth of statistical information, both historical and current, on Congress,
political parties, elections and campaigns; the presidency, the executive branch,
and the judiciary; political parties, elections and campaigns; mass media, public
opinion, interest groups; foreign and military policy, social and economic policy;
the Constitution and federalism. Includes an extensive “Guide to References for
Political Statistics.”
Vital Statistics on Congress. Washington, American Enterprise Institute. Biennial.
Includes statistics on congressional elections, campaign finance, party
membership characteristics, committees, staff, costs, level of activity, and voting.
Census/Congressional District Information
Congressional District Atlas; 103rd Congress of the United States. Washington,
Bureau of the Census, 1993. 2 vols.
The atlas presents maps of the 50 states, the District of Columbia,
American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. State maps give
boundaries of congressional districts, counties, and statistically equivalent areas,
governmentally functioning county subdivisions, and American Indian
reservations. The number and type of maps included vary with the complexity
of the congressional districts for each state. For the 105th Congress, this atlas
was released exclusively on CD-ROM, available from GPO; the next update is
planned for the 108th Congress.
Population and Housing Characteristics for Congressional Districts of the 103rd
Congress. Washington, Bureau of the Census, 1993.
Presents 100% and sample data from the 1990 Census arranged within
volumes for each state by congressional district, and within congressional
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districts by county or other jurisdiction with populations of 10,000 or more.
Provides data on age, family, persons in group quarters, Hispanic origin,
household relationship, race, and sex. Additional subjects found only in sample
population data include ancestry, disability, education, fertility, language spoken
at home, place of birth, citizenship, and year of entry to the area. Economic
topics include the following: labor force, occupation, industry, income; and data
on general housing topics such as rooms in housing units, value of home or
monthly rent, plumbing and kitchen facilities, vehicles available, and more.
Individual volumes for each state and the Washington, D.C., Census Web sites
for state congressional district information:
Internet: [http://www.census.gov/datamap/www/index.html].
In addition to these printed Census reports, the La Follette Congressional
Reading Room and the research centers also have Census data in CD-ROM format,
including congressional district information and basic housing and population data for
state, county, and SMSA levels.
Federal Government: Executive and Judicial
Overview of Government Organization, Offices, and Functions
United States Government Manual. Washington, GPO. Annual.
Basic handbook of the U.S. government; emphasis on executive branch,
although legislative and judicial branches are also covered. Good descriptions
of agencies, down to the bureau and major office level, giving top personnel,
program responsibility, statutory authority, and enabling legislation. Identifies
agencies abolished or transferred, and frequently used acronyms and
abbreviations. Indexes of names, subjects, and agencies.
[http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/browse-gm-00.html]
Types of questions that can be answered:
What is the chain of command at GAO?
What agency did HHS supersede?
Who is the regional administrator for OSHA in Dallas?
What’s a federal region? What’s “Fannie Mae”?
Where can I find an organization chart of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission?
How can I find out more about the history of savings bonds?
What is the legal basis for the National Security Council?
Washington Information Directory. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Biennial.
Arranged by broad subject, lists the government agencies and congressional
committees interested in the area, plus D.C.-based organizations, associations,
etc. Also lists embassies and U.S. ambassadors; State Department country
desks; labor unions; mayors of all cities over 75,000. For each state governor,
gives complete address, telephone, and name of press secretary, lieutenant
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governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. Gives addresses of GPO
bookstores and regional depository libraries.
Types of questions that can be answered:
What organizations are working to make buildings more accessible to the
handicapped?
Which congressional committees have jurisdiction over drug abuse
legislation?
What’s the biggest labor union?
What if our office would like to send a mailing to organizations interested
in trade?
Where can I find out about doing business with the federal government?
Budget, Outlays, and Grants
Budget of the United States. Washington, GPO. Annual.
Contains the budget message of the President, a narrative of the proposed
budget by function, and statistics for previous fiscal years and the next fiscal
year. In addition, it contains statistical tables for receipts, outlays, deficits, debt,
gross national product (GNP) by fiscal year, and budget percentages for many
years, often since 1940.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Where can I find a pie chart for budget outlays and receipts?
When was the budget last balanced?
Where can I find the budget message of the President?
What was the debt subject to limit in 1950, and what statute set that limit?
What percent of the budget was spent on defense and what amount was
spent on human resources for the years 1940-1990?
What percent of next year’s budget is for entitlements?
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Washington, GPO. Annual with mid-year
supplement.
Extensive information about federal grants programs, including eligibility
requirements and application procedures. Detailed indexes and appendices,
including addresses of state and regional offices, many of which are authorized
to distribute funds directly to local recipients. Free to Members and staff from
the General Services Administration (GSA), (202) 501-0563; district offices
should get their own print copy; constituents may purchase from GPO, use at a
large local library, or search the Web version. The GSA Internet site
[http://www.cfda.gov/default.htm] enables keyword searching and has various
indexes by department, agency, program, and subject, in addition to listings of
state and regional federal information contacts. For House D.C. or district
offices wishing to search the Catalog for constituents, contact House
Information Resources, ext.5-6002 [http://Intranet.House.gov/] to produce
custom searches via the HIR Federal Funds Expre$$ site.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Is there a federal program that would provide money for a firehouse?
For the mayor of a small town, where can I find out what federal programs
might fund local projects?
Does the federal government give scholarships?
CRS-16
Are there any project grants available for historic preservation?
How can I get a summer job with the federal government?
Current Names and Numbers
Carroll’s Federal Executive Directory. Washington, Carroll Publishing. New edition
every other month.
This has 75,000 entries which cover the executive office of the President,
cabinet departments, major federal administrative agencies, and Congress.
Names, titles, addresses, phones, and fax numbers are listed by agency, office,
or departments; names are indexed alphabetically; office functions and sub-
agencies are also indexed. Carroll also publishes other useful directories,
including ones covering offices at the federal regional, state, county, and
municipal levels.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Are there any federal information centers in our state?
What offices in the government are concerned with solar energy?
Who’s the chief counsel for the Internal Revenue Service?
Margaret Lamontagne works for the White House. What is her position?
Federal Staff Directory. Alexandria, VA, CQ Staff Directories. Semiannual.
Lists over 30,000 key federal executives and military leaders who draft
regulations, interpret policy, disseminate information, authorize grants, and
contract for goods and services. For each, gives job title, address, and telephone
number; for the 2,600 top-level civilian and military authorities and senior
assistants, gives biographies. Also available is the annual Judicial Staff
Directory, which lists some 14,000 judges and staff who run the federal courts
from the Supreme Court through the Circuit Courts of Appeal and District and
Bankruptcy Courts and includes some 2,000 biographies.
Federal Yellow Book; Who’s Who in Federal Departments and Agencies.
Washington,
Leadership Directories. Quarterly.
Similar to the Federal Executive Directory (see above), but with focus
exclusively on the executive branch. Extensive listings of 35,000 staff by
department and agency. Includes federal regional offices and maps of federal
regions.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Who’s the head of the Civil Division at the Justice Department?
What’s the number of the Iraq desk at the State Department?
Are there any federal regional offices in our state?
Who’s in charge of GPO?
Is there a number at HUD for information on grants?
Whom can I talk to in HHS about what’s being done in AIDS research?
Regulations and Regulatory Agencies
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Washington, GPO. Revised annually.
CRS-17
The CFR codifies final regulations having general applicability and legal
effect which have first appeared in the Federal Register (see below). They are
arranged by subject in 50 titles (over 190 volumes). The annual revision, done
on a quarterly basis, incorporates new regulations and drops superseded ones,
so that the CFR reflects regulations in effect at the time of printing.
[http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr]
Federal Register. Washington, GPO. Daily Monday through Friday.
Official announcement of regulations and legal notices issued by federal
agencies, including presidential proclamations and executive orders, proposed
and final department and agency orders and regulations, documents required to
be published by Act of Congress, and announcements of meetings. Daily and
monthly indexes, including List of CFR Sections Affected, assist in its use.
Internet: [http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html].
Federal Regulatory Directory. 8th ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1997.
Provides background information on federal agencies which issue and
enforce regulations, including each agency’s authority to regulate, how
regulations are published, and information on recent activities. Also gives
biographies of commissioners and board members; telephone contacts in regional
agencies; and congressional oversight committees.
Types of questions that can be answered:
How are handguns regulated?
How can you register a complaint against a household moving company?
Which agency monitors asbestos usage?
Are there federal standards for private pensions?
Are there any truth-in-advertising standards for seeds?
Who regulates hazardous materials?
The President
CQ Guide to the Presidency. 2nd ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1996.
2 v.
Explains in one volume the origins, evolution, and contemporary workings
of the presidency. Included are excerpts from 40 documents significant to the
presidency, a complete listing of cabinet members from the administrations of
Presidents Washington to Bush (to 1989), and charts showing Gallup poll ratings
of Presidents Truman through Reagan. The highest court of the land is given
similar historical and analytical treatment in the CQ Guide to the U.S. Supreme
Court, 3rd ed. (Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1997).
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. Washington, GPO. Weekly, with
quarterly, semiannual, and annual indexes.
Provides transcripts of presidential messages to Congress, executive orders,
announcements of appointments, nominations, resignations and retirements,
speeches, and other material released by the White House Source for such
information as the dates on which the President signed or vetoed legislation.
CRS-18
Public messages, speeches, and statements of the President are later compiled in
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Washington, GPO).
[http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara003.html]
Directories of Organizations, Corporations, and
State Agencies
General
Encyclopedia of Associations. Detroit, Gale Group. Annual.
Standard directory of national and international membership organizations
covering all subject areas, including fraternal, social, business, veterans, public
affairs, and cultural associations. It is possible to look up an organization by
name or keyword and find a brief description of the group, current address,
telephone number, chief officer, publications, and conventions. The subscription
Web version of this directory is bookmarked for congressional staff use in LCRR
and research centers.
Types of questions that can be answered:
What’s the address of the National Organization for Women?
I’m interested in proposals to change the calendar; are there any groups I
could contact?
Where can a constituent who wishes to adopt a child from abroad get
information?
Where would one get lessons in flying a hot air balloon?
I have a gifted child; what groups can I contact for help and information?
Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations. 15th ed. Detroit, Gale
Group. Annual.
A guide to over 6,000 permanent, continuing, and ad hoc U.S. presidential,
congressional, and public advisory committees; interagency committees; and
other government-related boards, panels, task forces, commissions, conferences,
and other similar bodies serving in a consultative, coordinating, advisory,
research, or investigative capacity. Includes active and terminated bodies.
Descriptions include history and authority, program, membership, staff, address,
telephone number, and fax number if available.
National Trade and Professional Associations. Washington, Columbia Books.
Annual.
Describes about 7,000 national trade associations, labor unions,
professional, scientific, or technical societies, and other national organizations
composed of groups united for a common purpose. Gives address, telephone
and fax numbers, membership and staff sizes, president or chief executive officer,
annual budget, publications, and annual meetings.
Public Interest Profiles, 2001-2002. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Biennial.
Information about more than 200 influential public interest and public
policy organizations in areas such as the environment, consumer affairs,
CRS-19
community/grassroots interests, and think tanks. Gives budget data and funding
sources, board of directors, publications, current concerns, methods of
operation, phone and fax numbers, conferences, and political action committee
information.
Washington Information Directory. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Annual.
See entry above in the section on the Federal Government: Executive and
Judicial.
Political Action Committees and Lobbyists
Almanac of Federal PACs. Washington, Amward Publications. Biennial.
Based on campaign finance statistics maintained by the Federal Election
Commission, this directory includes every political action committee which
contributed $50,000 or more to candidates who were seeking election in the year
covered by the volume. Also identifies PACs which contribute lesser amounts
to federal candidates but are “affiliated” with other PACs.
Congressional Record. Washington, GPO. Daily when Congress is in session.
New lobbyists’ registrations and reports of lobbyists’ receipts and
expenditures of the previous quarter are published four times each year by the
House Records and Registration Office. For a complete picture of currently
active lobbyists, reports for the most recent four quarters should be checked.
The lists can be located through the indexes under “Lobbying.” CQ Weekly also
publishes a selective list of lobbyists, based on the official lobby registrations,
once a month in an issue of the magazine.
Washington Representatives. Washington, Columbia Books. Annual.
Lists some 14,000 individual, 600 law and public relations firms, more
than 11,000 companies and interest groups with representatives in Washington,
D.C. Information is taken from lobby registration files with the clerk of the
House and secretary of the Senate; foreign agent registrations at the Department
of Justice; the Federal Election Commission; annual company reports to the
various regulatory agencies; and annual questionnaires sent to each Washington
area office listed.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Who represents General Dynamics on Capitol Hill?
What clients are represented in Washington by the lobbying firm Timmons
and Co.?
What American law firms represent Japanese business interests in
Washington?
What is the Congressional Accountability Project, and who speaks for it in
dealings with the U.S. government?
CRS-20
Business Directories
The La Follette Congressional Reading Room and each research center has a
selection of standard business directories, including Standard and Poor’s Register of
Corporations (N.Y., Standard and Poor’s; annual), Directory of American Firms
Operating in Foreign Countries (N.Y., Uniworld; irregular), Standard Directory of
Advertisers (N.Y., National Register; annual), and various Moody’s manuals, for
example Moody’s Industrial; ... Bank and Financial; ... Transportation (N.Y.,
Moody’s Investors Service; annual with weekly updates). These give (variously)
company addresses, telephone numbers, chief officers, products or services, sales
figures; and (in the case of Moody’s) more extensive profiles.
Education and Internships
Other directories of specialized interests useful for information contacts and
constituent referrals are located in each CRS Reader Services facility. In the area of
education, the HEP Higher Education Directory (Falls Church, VA, Higher
Education Pubs.; annual) not only lists colleges and universities by state (with brief
pertinent information), but gives the congressional district for each institution. Some
other directories, such as [year] Internships: 50,000 On-the-Job Training
Opportunities for Students and Adults (Princeton, Peterson’s Guides; annual), The
Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools (Newton, PA, Law School Admission Services;
annual), and Medical School Admission Requirements (Washington, Association of
American Medical Colleges; annual) are also included in the Education collection in
each Reader Services facility.
Media Directories
Media directories (covering both print and broadcasting) are also frequently
consulted by congressional staff and interns. Each CRS collection includes the
Broadcasting/ Cablecasting Yearbook (Washington, Broadcasting Publications;
annual), Editor and Publisher (N.Y., Editor and Publisher; annual), Gale Directory
of Publications and Broadcast Media (Detroit, Gale Group; annual), Hudson’s
Washington News Media Contacts Directory (Rhinebeck, NY, Hudson’s; annual),
Standard Directory of Periodicals (N.Y., Oxbridge; annual), and Working Press of
the Nation (Chicago, National Research Bureau; annual). Some are arranged by
geographic areas (state, city), such as the Gale Directory; others have subject
arrangement, such as the Standard Directory of Periodicals.
State and Local Directories
Sometimes a constituent can best be referred to a state or local agency or
organization—for example, to register consumer complaints or get funds for a local
project. Directories to help identify appropriate sources include Carroll’s County,
Municipal, State, and Federal Regional Executive Directories (Washington, Carroll
Publishing; quarterly); State Administrative Officials Classified by Function
(Lexington, KY, Council of State Governments; biennial); State and Regional
Associations of the United States (Washington, Columbia Books; annual); and the
CRS-21
State Yellow Book; Who’s Who in the Executive and Legislative Branches of the 50
State Governments (N.Y., Leadership Directories; quarterly).
Biographical Information
(See also the Congress and Federal Government sections of this report)
Biographical directories generally give a brief outline of the person’s life, the
familiar “who’s who” paragraph, including date of birth and family history, some
education or academic degrees, a job or position history, and a current address. A
work such as Current Biography (see below) provides a more extensive, discursive
profile. For additional information, do a periodical or newspaper literature search for
articles on the person. Some standard biographical directories include:
Current Biography. New York, Wilson. Monthly except August with annual
cumulations.
Objective, accurate, and well-documented biographical profiles of
prominent individuals in all fields of human accomplishment the world over.
Includes a photograph of each and citations to other articles. Available at walk-
up PCs in LCRR and research centers, from 1940 to within a month or two of
the current date. Web subscription available at CRS client computers.
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. New York, Martindale-Hubbell. Annual.
Source of information for and about the legal community, providing profiles
of lawyers and law firms. Now has an alphabetical index to all names in the
geographically-arranged, multivolume directory.
Who’s Who Among African Americans. Detroit, Gale Group. Annual.
Biographies of prominent blacks in all areas of achievement. Includes
geographic and occupations indexes, reflecting U.S. and international entries and
150 fields of work, from accounting to zoology.
Who’s Who in America. Chicago, Marquis. Biennial.
Americans of significant position or achievement in the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches of government; high ranking military officers;
officials of state governments; officials of principal cities; leading government
officials of Canada and Mexico; principal officers of major national and
international businesses; ranking administrative officials of major universities and
colleges; heads of leading philanthropic, cultural, educational, professional, and
scientific institutions and associations; selected members of honorary
organizations; chief ecclesiastics of the principal religious denominations; and
recipients of major national and international awards. For each, includes vital
statistics, education, career summary, writings and creative works, awards,
association memberships, home and office addresses.
Marquis also publishes regional volumes for specific areas of the United
States (Who’s Who in the East, ... the Midwest, ... the South and Southwest,
and ... the West); a retrospective series Who Was Who in America; an
international Who’s Who in the World; and numerous directories by specific
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occupation or group. These last include: Who’s Who in American Law, ... in
Finance and Industry, ... in Government, and ... of American Women. Finally,
the annual Index to Marquis Who’s Who Books provides easy access to all
volumes.
Who’s Who in American Politics. New York, Bowker. Biennial.
Definitive biographical directory about Americans who are active in
politics, ranging from the President to local figures.
Foreign Countries and International Affairs
Background Notes. Washington, GPO. Irregular.
For each country of the world, the U.S. State Department prepares briefing
reports for its staff going abroad. The profile summarizes geographical and
population characteristics; history; government, major political parties, and
political conditions; the economy; foreign relations; travel notes; and
bibliography of additional sources. Currently, LCRR and research centers rely
on the Web version of this source for up-to-date information.
[http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/index.html]
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. Springfield, VA,
National Technical Information Service. Bimonthly.
Current listing of world leaders, prepared by the Central Intelligence
Agency.
[http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/]
The Europa World Year Book. London, Europa. Annual.
Provides detailed information on the political, economic, and commercial
institutions of the world. Contains information about international organizations
as well as country by country.
Foreign Consular Offices in the United States. Washington, GPO. Quarterly.
Complete, official listing of consular offices in the United States, with
names of recognized consular officers. Since regulations affecting both trade
and travel are the particular province of the consular service of the nations
involved, reliable information on entrance requirements, consignments of foods,
details of transshipment, and, in many instances, suggestions on consumer needs
and preferences may be obtained at foreign consular offices throughout the
United States.
[http://www.state.gov/www/travel/consular_offices/fco_index.html]
Legislation on Foreign Relations Through [year]. Washington, GPO. Irreg. 5 v.
Set of laws and related material frequently referred to by the Committees
on Foreign Relations of the Senate and Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives, amended to date and annotated to show pertinent history or
CRS-23
cross references. Volumes I, II, III, and IV contain legislation and related
material; volume V contains treaties.
Treaties in Force; A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the
United States in Force on [date]. Washington, GPO. Annual.
Provides information on treaties and other international agreements to
which the United States has become a party and which are carried on the records
of the Department of State as being in force as of January 1 of each year.
Available in PDF format:
[http://www.state.gov/www/global/legal_affairs/tifindex.html].
The World Factbook. Washington, Central Intelligence Agency. Annual.
The Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of
U.S. government officials. Information is provided by various agencies of the
federal government, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of the
Census, Defense Intelligence, Department of State, Fish and Wildlife Service,
Maritime Administration, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and other
public and private sources.
Internet: [http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html]
Quick Facts, Statistics, and Quotations
Facts and Statistics
Chase’s Calendar of Events. Chicago, Contemporary Books. Annual.
Almanac of holidays and events, including national and state days, events
sponsored by organizations, historic anniversaries, folkloric events, birthdays,
religious observances, and holidays for which Presidential Proclamations are
issued (for these last, includes a 2- year listing). For each holiday, gives a brief
description, sponsoring group or agency, legislation or proclamation. In
addition, Chase’s includes a number of other useful listings, including national
days of the world, U.S. hurricane names for the current year and future years,
major awards (such as Oscars and Pulitzer Prizes) presented for the most recent
year available, and a perpetual calendar.
Facts on File; The Indexed Record of World Events. New York, Facts on File.
Weekly with annual and 5-year cumulations.
Digest of and detailed index to world news information. Provides a factual,
detailed, and up-to-date source for swift answers to questions on current events.
Excellent for news story summaries, names, and date verification. Also cover
deaths, science, sports, medicine, education, religion, crime, books, plays, films,
and persons prominent in the news. Can be searched electronically on client
terminals in LCRR and research centers via Web subscription on OCLC
FirstSearch—select “News & Current Events” database area.
CRS-24
Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, GPO. Annual.
Social, political, and economic statistics of the United States—the first
place to look for almost any kind of numbers and figures, covering all U.S.
subjects. Useful compilation of every major statistical series collected by the
federal government, state governments, and national organizations. Subject
arrangement, with detailed index. Much information broken down by state; see
“state data (for individual state)” in index for complete list. Source to contact
if more information is needed given with each table.
Types of questions that can be answered:
How many bills and resolutions were introduced in the last Congress?
What are the statistics on cigarette smoking in the United States?
What have been the dollar costs of American wars?
What percentage of registered voters ages 18-20 voted in 1992, 1994,
1996, 1998?
How many physicians in the United States graduated from foreign medical
schools?
What American industries are being acquired by foreign investors?
What’s the average salary for a school teacher?
What’s the highest elevation in the USA? The lowest?
The World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York, World Almanac. Annual.
One of several general annual almanacs, a useful compendium of current
factual information and statistics in all subject areas. Includes facts on U.S.
states and cities; foreign countries; flags and maps in color; sports; chronology
of previous year, etc.
Types of questions that can be answered:
How many people in the world speak Japanese?
What does the law on succession to the presidency say?
Is a liter bigger than a quart?
What have been the leading mutual funds historically?
Have third parties ever really influenced the presidential election?
How far is it between Chicago and New York?
World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago, World Book. Annual revision.
Standard reference encyclopedia in LCRR and Centers, along with the
Encyclopedia Americana and Encyclopaedia Britannica. Short articles
supplemented with chronologies of important dates and events, lists of important
figures, statistical information, tables, and charts. Includes bibliographies and
detailed index volume.
Quotations
To assist congressional staff and Members searching for appropriate quotations
to insert in their writing, or to verify some familiar sayings, LCRR and the Research
Centers include a selection of quotation books. These collections are intended
primarily for user self-service. In addition, CRS staff has access to CD-ROMs such
as Gale Quotations, Granger’s World of Poetry, and Masterplots Complete to assist
congressional offices verify specific quotations and works.
CRS-25
General quotation compilations cover a broad range of subjects. Such works
include:
Respectfully Quoted; A Dictionary of Quotations Requested from the Congressional
Research Service (Washington, Library of Congress, 1989)
Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs
Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature. 16th ed. (Boston,
Little, Brown, 1992)
Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1995)
Other compilations of quotations focus on specific subjects, such as:
Contemporary Quotations in Black (Westport, CO, Greenwood, 1997)
Encyclopedia of Supreme Court Quotations (Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe, 2000)
Political Quotations: A Collection of Notable Sayings on Politics from Antiquity
Through 1989 (Detroit, Gale Group, 1990)
Will the Gentleman Yield? The Congressional Record Humor Book (Berkeley, CA,
Ten Speed Press, 1987)
The Bible According to Mark Twain: Writings on Heaven, Eden, and the Flood
(Athens, University of Georgia Press, 1995)
A Dictionary of Quotations from Sshakespeare: A Topical Guide to Over 3,000
Great Passages from the Plays, Sonnets, and Narrative Poems (New York,
Dutton, 1992)
Quotations from Abraham Lincoln (Chicago, Nelson-Hall, 1977)
The Wit & Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin: A Treasury of More than 900 Quotations
and Anecdotes (New York, HarperCollins, 1995)
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Congressional Resources
in CRS Research Centers and the
La Follette Congressional Reading Room
Updated September 25, 2001
Merete F. Gerli
Information Management Specialist
Information Research Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress
Congressional Resources in CRS Research Centers
and the La Follette Congressional Reading Room
Summary
Congressional staff and interns seeking quick facts, information, Congressional
Research Service publications, and reference and research assistance may come in
person to CRS facilities located in Library of Congress and in House and Senate
office buildings. These include the Senate, Longworth, and Rayburn Research
Centers, the La Follette Congressional Reading Room (LCRR), and the CRS
Publications Distribution Center. The LCRR and research centers make available
CRS products, access to Internet and online sources (including the CRS Web site and
the Legislative Information Service), magazine and newspaper collections and
indexing tools, a variety of standard reference books, and legislative and public policy
materials useful to congressional offices. Staff and intern user self-service is
welcomed, with guidance provided as needed by CRS reference staff.
This report describes types of CRS products and a selection of the most
frequently used printed and online reference sources available in the reading room and
research centers for use by congressional staff. These deal with legislation and public
policy; bills, congressional documents, laws, and regulations; Congress, elections, and
politics; the federal government; directories of organizations, associations,
corporations, state agencies, educational institutions, and the media; biographical
information; data on foreign countries and international affairs; quick facts and
statistics; and special collections such as quotations.
This report will be updated for each Congress.
Contents
CRS Centers and Reading Rooms on Capitol Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CRS Publications and Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CRS Web Site, the Legislative Information System, and Other Online Systems . 3
Articles on a Subject: Looking for Background Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CRS Info Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Magazine and Newspaper Articles—Indexes and Full Text Retrieval . . . . . 6
Issues of Magazines and Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Other Online Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bills, Congressional Documents, Laws, and Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CRS Web Site and Legislative Information System (LIS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
House Legislative Resource Center and Senate Document Room . . . . . . . . 7
Other Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Congress, Elections, and Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Overview of Congress and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Profiles of Members and Districts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Staff and Congressional Office Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Statistics on Congress and Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Census/Congressional District Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Federal Government: Executive and Judicial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Overview of Government Organization, Offices, and Functions . . . . . . . . 14
Budget, Outlays, and Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Current Names and Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Regulations and Regulatory Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Directories of Organizations, Corporations, and State Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . 18
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Political Action Committees and Lobbyists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Business Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Education and Internships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Media Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
State and Local Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Biographical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Foreign Countries and International Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Quick Facts, Statistics, and Quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Facts and Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Congressional Resources in CRS Research
Centers and the La Follette Congressional
Reading Room
CRS Centers and Reading Rooms on Capitol Hill
Numbers are geared to those in the diagram above.
1
La Follette Congressional Reading Room (LCRR)
7-7100
Madison Building, Room LM204
Monday - Thursday
8:30 - 8
Friday
8:30 - 6
Saturday
8:30 - 5
(Hours of service may change when Congress is not in session.)
CRS Product Distribution Center (PDC)
7-7132
Madison Building, Room LM206
Monday - Friday
8:30 - 6
CRS-2
2
Jefferson Congressional Reading Room (JCRR)
Jefferson Building, Room LJ159
Monday - Friday
8:30 - 5:30
(for Members of Congress only)
3
Senate Research Center (SRC)
4-3550
Russell Building, Room B07
Monday - Friday
9 - 5:30
4
Longworth Research Center (LRC)
5-2030
Longworth HOB, Room B221
Monday - Friday
9 - 5:30
5
Rayburn Research Center (RRC)
5-6958
Rayburn HOB, Room B335
Monday - Friday
9 - 5:30
CRS Publications and Products
CRS publications and information packets are intended to provide overview and
background information on topics of current legislative and policy interest to
Congress. They are useful for briefing Members and legislative staff as well as
answering constituent requests.
CRS Info Packs are compilations of materials on topics and issues of interest to
Congress. They include CRS reports and issue briefs, newspaper and journal articles,
and guides to other resources. Each info pack is updated as legislation or news events
warrant. Examples include:
Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity (IP424A)
Campaign Finance (IP014C)
Grants and Foundation Support: Information on Government and Private Funding
(IP050G)
Immigration Issues (IP164I)
Social Security Reform (IP435S)
Terrorism (IP299T)
CRS Issue Briefs are concise briefing papers on key issues of interest to Congress.
They normally review policy options with pros and cons and are updated regularly
throughout the legislative session. Each contains a summary and background analysis,
and may contain a listing of pertinent legislation, a chronology, and a bibliography of
additional reports and information sources. Some CRS issue briefs of recent interest
include:
CRS Issue Brief IB97057, Global Climate Change: Market-Based Strategies to
Reduce Greenhouse Gases
CRS Issue Brief IB10037, Meat and Poultry Inspection Issues
CRS Issue Brief IB10039, The Minimum Wage: An Overview of Issues
CRS Issue Brief IB98017, Patient Protection and Managed Care
CRS-3
CRS Issue Brief IB95112, Terrorism, the Future, and U.S. Foreign Policy
CRS Reports are written to address specific issues of concern to Congress. They
may take the form of policy analyses, statistical reviews, economic studies, fact sheets,
chronologies, bibliographies, and guides to handling certain types of requests or
research. Some examples of CRS reports include:
CRS Report RL30719, Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal
Assistance Programs
CRS Report RS20095, The Congressional Budget Process: A Brief Overview
CRS Report RL30343 ,Continuing Appropriations Acts: Brief Overview of Recent
Practices
CRS Report RL30165, Education Vouchers: Constitutional Issues and Cases
CRS Report RL30804, The Electoral College: an Overview and Analysis of Reform
Proposals
CRS Report RS20270 Renewable Energy and Electricity Restructuring
The CRS Web site [http://www.crs.gov/] provides full text of all CRS issue
briefs and many CRS reports and can be searched directly from terminals in
congressional offices or in all CRS Reader Services facilities. For more information,
see below.
Copies of info packs, issue briefs, and reports may also be obtained in all CRS
research centers, by calling the CRS Products Line (ext. 7-7132), by placing a request
via the CRS Web site [http://www.crs.gov/], by submitting requests in writing, by fax
(ext. 7-6745), or by visiting the CRS Products Distribution Center, LM-212.
CRS Web Site, the Legislative Information System,
and Other Online Systems
CRS Web Site
[http://www.crs.gov/]
The Congressional Research Service offers information designed and organized
for the exclusive use of congressional offices through the Internet. Congressional
staff may search the CRS Web site and the Legislative Information System (LIS)
directly from their office computers on Capitol Hill and district or state offices.
Designated terminals in the La Follette Congressional Reading Room and Senate and
House Research Centers may also be used by congressional staff to search CRS and
World Wide Web resources, Library of Congress catalogs, and other online files. The
CRS Web site includes:
! Floor Agenda: CRS Products
! Electronic Briefing Books
! Appropriations / Budget
! Legislative / Budget Process
! Constitution Annotated
! CRS publications by Current Legislative Issues
! Search All CRS Products: by title, author, summary, subject (about
3,000); full text search (about 700); by product number
CRS-4
! CRS Services
Information about placing requests with CRS; phone numbers and contacts;
orientations, seminars, and institutes; and guidelines for interns and
volunteers.
! Congressional Staff Reference Desk
Links to Internet general reference materials (such as directories,
dictionaries, travel, and weather information), and specialized virtual
references tailored for legislative assistants, constituent caseworkers,
schedulers, press secretaries, and speech writers. This section includes the
CRS Grants Information Web page, useful in handling constituent requests.
! External Internet Links by Topic
! Library of Congress
Includes how congressional staff can request books from the Library’s
collections.
Legislative Information System
[http://www.congress.gov/]
The CRS Web site also links to the Legislative Information System (LIS),
specifically designed to track legislation and legislative activity, with tie-ins to CRS
products and other features exclusively available to Congress. Its public counterpart
is THOMAS [http://thomas.loc.gov], which constituents can use. The LIS provides
item, keyword, subject, and other searching to floor activities and schedules, bill
summary and status, bill text, votes, public laws, the Congressional Record;
committee reports, schedules, hearings, transcripts, and Home Pages; lists of House
and Senate Members and their Home Pages; news and periodical literature links;
support agencies and other government links; and other useful assistance and
guidance for congressional staff.
Other Online Systems Available for Congressional Staff Use
All CRS research centers and the La Follette Congressional Reading Room have
client PCs that congressional staff may use to access a variety of Web subscriptions
and other online resources. Internet bookmarks at congressional staff workstations
include:
! Archives USA — Search Manuscript Repositories
! Associations Unlimited
! Britannica Online
! Cartoons
! Computer Select (full text of PC trade magazines)
! CQ Weekly index (Congressional Quarterly)
! Contemporary Authors
! Current Biography 1940-present
! D&B Million Dollar Database (company profiles)
! Editorials and opinion pieces: American Media Columnists (columns
from over 600 U.S. and Canadian columnists)
! Editorials and opinion pieces: Opinion-Pages (English-language
editorials and opinion pieces from around the world)
! Ethnic Newswatch (ethnic, minority, Native American newspapers
and magazines)
CRS-5
! Granger’s World of Poetry
! GrantSelect (grants available from government, private foundations,
corporations, universities, and other entities)
! Grove Dictionary of Art
! Grove Dictionary of Opera
! Health Policy Tracking Service Issue Briefs (National Council of
State Legislatures)
! Historical Abstracts
! Historical Newspapers Online (London Times and New York Times,
19th-20th c.)
! InfoTrac (popular, academic, and business magazine articles)
! JSTOR (historical runs of economic, political science, history
journals)
! LegalTrac (index to legal periodicals)
! NTIS (National Technical Information Service, index of U.S.
government-sponsored research)
! OCLC FirstSearch (periodical and newspaper indexes, some full-text
articles)
! Periodical Contents Index (humanities/social sciences journals)
! PolicyFile (indexes public policy news, research, and analysis)
! Project Muse (Johns Hopkins academic journals, e.g., Human Rights
Quarterly)
! ProQuest Direct and Finding Articles (indexing and full text,
newspapers and magazines)
! Publications and Broadcast Media
! ReferenceUSA (searchable directory of 11 million U.S. businesses)
! RLG Eureka (indexes to social sciences, arts and humanities)
! STAT-USA (Department of Commerce and other government
agencies)
! Terrorism (CRS Electronic Briefing Book)
! Terrorism news stories (via LexisNexis)
Articles on a Subject: Looking for Background
Information
The following sources enable congressional staff and interns to locate articles on
a topic by themselves. CRS subscribes to many Web and electronic full-text
periodical literature services that congressional staff can use in LCRR and research
centers. Congressional staff PCs in research centers and LCRR have bookmarks to
Online Systems Available for Congressional Staff Use (see above), which include full
text and indexes to periodical literature. For online searching, follow screen prompts,
or consult guide sheets available at each congressional staff workstation.
CRS Info Packs
If a CRS info pack exists on your topic, check it for news articles.
CRS-6
Magazine and Newspaper Articles—Indexes and Full Text
Retrieval
ProQuest Direct. Provides summaries of articles from hundreds of magazines, plus
full text of many. Journals covered include magazines such as Atlantic, Black
Enterprise, Business Week, Current History, Fortune, Harper’s, Ms., New York
Review of Books, Science, Sports Illustrated, and Time; business articles cited or
reproduced include magazines such as Advertising Age, Computerworld, Journal of
Labor Research, Public Administration Review, and Survey of Current Business.
Access to a selection of full text newspapers and magazines that can be browsed by
date, ProQuest’s Finding Articles, is available via all client computers in LCRR and
all Research Centers.
OCLC/First Search (Web). Online searching of numerous indexes and abstracting
services, including Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS), Readers’ Guide
Abstracts, Dissertation Abstracts, and Newspaper Abstracts. Full text available for
some articles.
Newspaper Abstracts—Searchable via OCLC/First Search, these cover major
national and regional U.S. newspapers, including the Atlanta Constitution, Boston
Globe, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, New York
Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Coverage for most begin in the
mid-1980s; updated weekly.
Other Internet Sources—Newspapers and magazines, full text and indexing, are
being added to the World Wide Web daily, including U.S., international, and even
some U.S. college newspapers. A number of such sources are bookmarked at client
PCs in LCRR and research centers. Names and descriptions of services may also be
located via the CRS Home Page under "Congressional Staff Reference Desk/Media
Services." The Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room Web site also gives
information about newspapers, periodicals, and government publications.
[http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/ncp/ncp.html]
Printed Indexes to Magazines and Newspapers—These are available in the La
Follette Congressional Reading Room, the Library of Congress Newspaper and
Current Periodical Reading Room (LM-133 Madison) and the Law Library Reading
Room (LM-201 Madison). Magazine indexes in LCRR include Readers’ Guide to
Periodical Literature and Book Review Digest; newspaper indexes include the New
York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. Also available are indexes
to news information and summaries, such as Facts on File.
Issues of Magazines and Newspapers
Current Issues of Magazines—Especially the major national news, business, and
public policy magazines—can be found in the La Follette Congressional Reading
Room and all Research Centers. Most CRS facilities have magazines on public policy
issues, such as CQ Weekly and National Journal; news weeklies, such as Time and
Newsweek; business news magazines, such as Business Week and Fortune; and
popular magazines, such as Consumer Reports and People. Most CRS facilities also
CRS-7
have some years of back issues for magazines they receive. Collections vary
depending upon space—ask the librarian.
Major national current newspapers in the La Follette Congressional Reading Room
and Research Centers include 3 months’ worth of the New York Times, Washington
Post, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Times, and USA
Today.
The Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room (Room LM-133 Madison)
holds additional current newspapers and magazines, often a year of many magazines
received by the Library. Copying machines may be used free of charge by
congressional staff holding current Hill identification cards.
Older issues of periodicals are housed in the Library of Congress book stacks.
These bound volumes may be requested for use in the La Follette Congressional
Reading Room.
Other Online Sources
Many congressional offices subscribe to NEXIS/LEXIS, WESTLAW,
DIALOG, and other commercial online systems for their staff and interns. Because
of budget constraints, the La Follette Congressional Reading Room and House and
Senate Research Centers are unable to offer self-searching of these sources to
congressional staff.
Bills, Congressional Documents, Laws, and
Regulations
(Text, summaries, and status)
CRS Web Site and Legislative Information System (LIS)
The LIS, accessible via the CRS Web site, provides bill summary and status, full
text of legislation and public laws, full text of committee reports, hearings, and other
documents, and the Congressional Record for the current and earlier Congresses.
The system also gives (and is searchable by) committee, sponsorship, and
cosponsorship; identification of identical bills; and other information. Congressional
staff may also call House LEGIS (ext. 4-2971 or 5-1772) or Senate LEGIS (ext. 4-
7106) for status information on bills in the current Congress; and House Information
Resources (HIR; ext. 5-6002) and Senate Legislative Information System (ext. 4-
1517) for information on online systems available to Capitol Hill offices.
House Legislative Resource Center and Senate Document
Room
House and Senate document rooms provide to congressional staff and the public
copies of House and Senate bills and resolutions, committee and conference reports,
CRS-8
public laws, and congressional documents for current and some retrospective
Congresses.
Legislative Resource Center (Office of the Clerk of the House)
B-106 CANNON
For Current Congress
Phone: ext. 6-5200 or (202) 226-5200
Bills and Resolutions
Hours: 9-6 Monday-Friday
Public Laws
Internet: [http://clerkweb.house.gov]
Committee Reports
(available to House offices only)
House Calendars
House Documents
Other
Statements of Disbursements
For past Congresses
Federal Election Campaign Act
(for House staff only)
Reports
Financial Disclosure Statements
House Documents
Lobby Registrations
Public Laws
Senate Document Room (Office of the Secretary of the Senate)
B04 HART
Current Congress only
Phone: ext. 4-7701 or (202) 224-7701
Senate Bills and Resolutions
Recording (orders): ext. 4-1356
Current/past Congresses
Hours: 9-5:30 Monday-Friday
Committee and Conference Reports
Senate and House Documents
Public Laws
Treaties and Executive Reports
Internet: [http://webster.senate.gov/secretary/docroom/doc_room.htm]
(available to Senate offices only)
Other Sources
CIS Index and CIS Abstracts. Washington, Congressional Information Service,
monthly with annual compilations.
CIS provides brief abstracts of all types of congressional publications:
committee hearings, committee prints, House and Senate documents, reports,
and special publications, Senate executive reports, and treaty documents.
Detailed indexes cover subject, name (including names of witnesses at hearings),
and bill, report, and document numbers. CIS also provides legislative histories
of public laws. The La Follette Congressional Reading Room and the Senate
Research Center have CIS Index and CIS Abstracts. LCRR also can search the
CIS CD-ROM Congressional Masterfile I & II, covering congressional hearings
and documents from 1789 through the 105th Congress. Copies of the documents
identified may be available from House or Senate document rooms (see above)
or on CIS microfiche, which may be used in the LCRR.
CRS-9
United States Code Congressional and Administrative News. St. Paul, West
Publishing. Semimonthly when Congress is in session; monthly at other times.
Includes full text of all public laws, legislative history, executive orders,
presidential proclamations, administrative regulations, messages of the President,
and popular names of laws. Current issues contain an index/digest of bills
enacted.
United States Code and United States Statutes at Large. Washington, GPO.
Once Congress passes a bill, and the President signs it into law, it is
assigned a number and published by the Government Printing Office, first as a
slip law and later in annual volumes of the U.S. Statutes at Large. All laws of
a general and permanent nature are eventually consolidated and organized
(codified) by subject in the United States Code (revised every six years). The
U.S. Code Annotated (St. Paul, MN, West), available in the La Follette
Congressional Reading Room and the Senate and Rayburn Research Centers,
reproduces the Code together with citations for judicial opinion, historical notes,
digests, encyclopedia and other references, and other editorial aids. The Code
Annotated also includes a general subject index and subject indexes in all
volumes, useful tables, and continuous supplementation by pamphlet
supplements, annual pocket parts, and replacement volumes to facilitate
research.
Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations. Washington, GPO.
Administrative rules and regulations and other notices issued by federal
departments and agencies are published on a regular basis in the Federal
Register (published daily except Sunday, Monday, and the day following a legal
holiday). These include proposed as well as final rules and regulations,
schedules of agency hearings and miscellaneous agency announcements, and
presidential proclamations and executive orders. Final rules and regulations
subsequently appear, arranged by broad subject, in the Code of Federal
Regulations (revised once a year on a quarterly basis).
Internet: [http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara001.html]
Congress, Elections, and Politics
A variety of reference works and CRS products cover Congress and the
legislative process. This section discusses the standard printed reference sources on
Congress available in the La Follette Congressional Reading Room and House and
Senate Research Centers.
Overview of Congress and Activities
Congress A to Z. 3rd ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1999.
In dictionary format, provides succinct entries on congressional procedures
and vocabulary, such as “appropriations bills,” “gerrymandering,” “legislative
process,” “adjournment,” profiles of past and present congressional leaders; brief
histories of committees; and numerous other topics relevant to congressional
CRS-10
activity and history. Detailed index. In similar format, CQ also publishes
Elections A-Z (1st ed., 1999) and The Presidency A-Z (2nd ed., 1998).
Types of questions that can be answered:
What do the House and Senate Parliamentarians do?
How does the House Ways and Means committee differ from
Appropriations?
What are the various leadership positions in the House and Senate?
Can someone explain reapportionment and redistricting for my constituent?
What is Congress’ role in amending the U.S. Constitution?
CQ Weekly. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Weekly.
Useful summary of activities of Congress; factual and timely; full reports
on the progress of major bills (“Status of Major Legislation”); voting records
and activities of individual Members; congressional interaction with the
executive; roll call votes included.
Types of questions that can be answered:
What are the characteristics of the freshmen elected to Congress in 2000?
What is the background on the controversy over banking reform?
Who and what is Member Q, who was just elected a week or two ago?
What would the President’s budget allow for military defense? for
pollution control? the federal prison system?
Congressional Record. Washington, GPO. Daily when Congress is in session.
Contains the edited transcript of the activities on the floor of the House and
Senate. The “Daily Digest” section includes summaries of action in each
chamber, committee hearings, bills signed, and committee meetings scheduled
for the following day. The Record full text and the Index are searchable online
via the LIS [http://www.congress.gov/]. Printed indexes, searchable by
Member’s name, bill number, and subject, are issued twice a month.
Types of questions that can be answered:
When was the most recent list of lobbyists published in the Record?
My Member put an editorial in the Record 2 years ago; how can I find it?
When was the last debate on the federal pay raise?
Who voted against the President’s economic package in the Senate?
Guide to Congress. 5th ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1999.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the U.S. Congress, covering its
history, congressional powers and functions, the legislative process,
congressional procedures, and support agencies in depth. Well organized and
indexed.
Profiles of Members and Districts
Almanac of American Politics. Washington, National Journal. Biennial.
Informative, opinionated descriptions of states and districts; biographical
information on Members; ratings of Members by various interest groups;
Members’ votes on key issues. Similar in format to:
Politics in America. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Biennial.
Descriptions of states and districts; biographical information on Members;
key votes of Members; how interest groups rate Members.
CRS-11
Types of questions that can be answered:
How is Representative X rated by the various rating groups?
Was the Member for or against the ban on chemical weapons?
How much did Senator Y spend in his last election?
What’s the ethnic makeup of the first district of New Mexico? the state?
How successful has Representative Z been in pushing programs for her
district?
Where does Senator X stand on approving the death penalty for drug-
related murders?
What has been the political situation in the first district of California in
recent years?
Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1996. Washington,
Congressional Quarterly, 1996.
Provides brief official biographical sketch of every Member of Congress,
more than 11,000 from 1789 through the 104th Congress. Also, for each
Congress, gives complete listing, by state, of Senators and Representatives
(including results of special elections or appointments due to death or resignation
of an elected Member); dates of each session and of special sessions (if any); and
key leadership.
The Web version [http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp]
contains up-to-date biographical profiles.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Did Senator X from Wisconsin serve three consecutive terms; or did he
lose an election?
Who served as Representatives from New York in the 1930s?
How many Longworths have served in the U.S. Congress?
Congressional Directory. Washington, GPO. Biennial.
General directory of Members, committees, and subcommittees, with home
addresses of congressional officials and others in the legislative branch. Other
useful information for congressional offices includes: lists of embassies, foreign
embassies and ambassadors in Washington as well as American embassies and
ambassadors abroad; statistical section with tables of votes casts and sessions of
Congress; biographical information on judges, lists of federal courts; information
on the Capitol and buildings, including maps; names of press representatives and
services. LCRR and the Senate Research Center have collections of old
Congressional Directories. The current Directory is available on the Web:
[http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/cong016.html].
Types of questions that can be answered:
How many Supreme Court justices are over 70 years old?
Who’s the ambassador from Sweden, and what’s his title?
Has any session of Congress lasted longer than 365 days?
Which Senator and Representative have served in Congress the longest?
Who is in charge of the Capitol Page School?
When was the Russell Senate Office Building built?
Congressional Districts in the 1990's. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1993.
CRS-12
Reflecting 1990 census data and congressional redistricting, provides
narrative descriptions of districts, including demography and economics, voting
trends, major newspapers and television stations in the district, military
installations, businesses, and other major employers.
Congressional Yellow Book. Washington, Leadership Directories. Quarterly.
Frequently updated directory of names, telephone numbers, addresses of
Representatives, Senators, and staff; House and Senate offices, joint committees
and staff; leadership and Member organizations; and congressional support
agencies. For each state, provides district maps, lists state delegations, and
gives zip codes by congressional district.
Types of questions that can be answered:
What’s the phone number of the organization, Former Members of
Congress?
Who’s the chief counsel of the Committee on Indian Affairs?
What’s the number of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus? How many
Members belong?
Whom can I contact for a list of the Vietnam Veterans in Congress?
Staff and Congressional Office Information
Almanac of the Unelected: Staff of the U.S. Congress. Washington, Almanac
Publishing. Annual.
In-depth biographical profiles of senior congressional staff of House and
Senate Leadership offices and committees. Includes photographs.
Types of questions that can be answered:
My art teacher’s husband works for the Senate Budget Committee. What
is his position and was he the one who spoke at a recent budget
briefing?
A senior staff member on the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch
recently met with the Librarian of Congress; I know what he looks
like but forgot his name.
Congressional Staff Directory. Alexandria, VA, CQ Staff Directories. Three times
per year.
Directory of 16,000 people who run the legislative branch, with
biographical profiles of 3,200 key congressional staff. Also includes jurisdiction
of committees; lists of subcommittees and their staffs; district/state office
addresses and telephones; 14,000 cities and counties with congressional districts
(easy to refer mail); names, addresses, and telephone numbers of state
governors.
Types of questions that can be answered:
In which congressional district is Beaver Dam, KY?
Does the Senate Committee on Armed Services deal with naval petroleum
reserves in Alaska?
Where can I get some information about the staff director of the House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence?
Who is on the Joint Economic Committee?
CRS-13
Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide for the 107th Congress.
Washington, Congressional Management Foundation, 2000.
Offers ideas, models, and advice for managing a congressional office,
including managing the Member’s transition to Congress; selecting committee
assignments; hiring staff; developing an office budget and a first-term agenda;
defining the Member’s role in the office; cultivating leadership skills; and
selecting Washington and district office space. Also publishes Frontline
Management, a Guide for Congressional District/State Offices; and biennial
Senate and House staff employment and salary surveys.
Statistics on Congress and Politics
America Votes; A Handbook of Contemporary American Election Statistics. New
York, Macmillan. Biennial.
Statistics by state of voting since 1945 for President, Senator,
Representative, governor; statistics by county and ward of the vote in the most
recent election for President, governor, Senator. Maps of each state, large cities,
congressional districts. Brief descriptions of political situation in each state.
Vital Statistics on American Politics. Washington, Congressional Quarterly.
Biennial.
A wealth of statistical information, both historical and current, on Congress,
political parties, elections and campaigns; the presidency, the executive branch,
and the judiciary; political parties, elections and campaigns; mass media, public
opinion, interest groups; foreign and military policy, social and economic policy;
the Constitution and federalism. Includes an extensive “Guide to References for
Political Statistics.”
Vital Statistics on Congress. Washington, American Enterprise Institute. Biennial.
Includes statistics on congressional elections, campaign finance, party
membership characteristics, committees, staff, costs, level of activity, and voting.
Census/Congressional District Information
Congressional District Atlas; 103rd Congress of the United States. Washington,
Bureau of the Census, 1993. 2 vols.
The atlas presents maps of the 50 states, the District of Columbia,
American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. State maps give
boundaries of congressional districts, counties, and statistically equivalent areas,
governmentally functioning county subdivisions, and American Indian
reservations. The number and type of maps included vary with the complexity
of the congressional districts for each state. For the 105th Congress, this atlas
was released exclusively on CD-ROM, available from GPO; the next update is
planned for the 108th Congress.
Population and Housing Characteristics for Congressional Districts of the 103rd
Congress. Washington, Bureau of the Census, 1993.
Presents 100% and sample data from the 1990 Census arranged within
volumes for each state by congressional district, and within congressional
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districts by county or other jurisdiction with populations of 10,000 or more.
Provides data on age, family, persons in group quarters, Hispanic origin,
household relationship, race, and sex. Additional subjects found only in sample
population data include ancestry, disability, education, fertility, language spoken
at home, place of birth, citizenship, and year of entry to the area. Economic
topics include the following: labor force, occupation, industry, income; and data
on general housing topics such as rooms in housing units, value of home or
monthly rent, plumbing and kitchen facilities, vehicles available, and more.
Individual volumes for each state and the Washington, D.C., Census Web sites
for state congressional district information:
Internet: [http://www.census.gov/datamap/www/index.html].
In addition to these printed Census reports, the La Follette Congressional
Reading Room and the research centers also have Census data in CD-ROM format,
including congressional district information and basic housing and population data for
state, county, and SMSA levels.
Federal Government: Executive and Judicial
Overview of Government Organization, Offices, and Functions
United States Government Manual. Washington, GPO. Annual.
Basic handbook of the U.S. government; emphasis on executive branch,
although legislative and judicial branches are also covered. Good descriptions
of agencies, down to the bureau and major office level, giving top personnel,
program responsibility, statutory authority, and enabling legislation. Identifies
agencies abolished or transferred, and frequently used acronyms and
abbreviations. Indexes of names, subjects, and agencies.
[http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/browse-gm-00.html]
Types of questions that can be answered:
What is the chain of command at GAO?
What agency did HHS supersede?
Who is the regional administrator for OSHA in Dallas?
What’s a federal region? What’s “Fannie Mae”?
Where can I find an organization chart of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission?
How can I find out more about the history of savings bonds?
What is the legal basis for the National Security Council?
Washington Information Directory. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Biennial.
Arranged by broad subject, lists the government agencies and congressional
committees interested in the area, plus D.C.-based organizations, associations,
etc. Also lists embassies and U.S. ambassadors; State Department country
desks; labor unions; mayors of all cities over 75,000. For each state governor,
gives complete address, telephone, and name of press secretary, lieutenant
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governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. Gives addresses of GPO
bookstores and regional depository libraries.
Types of questions that can be answered:
What organizations are working to make buildings more accessible to the
handicapped?
Which congressional committees have jurisdiction over drug abuse
legislation?
What’s the biggest labor union?
What if our office would like to send a mailing to organizations interested
in trade?
Where can I find out about doing business with the federal government?
Budget, Outlays, and Grants
Budget of the United States. Washington, GPO. Annual.
Contains the budget message of the President, a narrative of the proposed
budget by function, and statistics for previous fiscal years and the next fiscal
year. In addition, it contains statistical tables for receipts, outlays, deficits, debt,
gross national product (GNP) by fiscal year, and budget percentages for many
years, often since 1940.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Where can I find a pie chart for budget outlays and receipts?
When was the budget last balanced?
Where can I find the budget message of the President?
What was the debt subject to limit in 1950, and what statute set that limit?
What percent of the budget was spent on defense and what amount was
spent on human resources for the years 1940-1990?
What percent of next year’s budget is for entitlements?
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Washington, GPO. Annual with mid-year
supplement.
Extensive information about federal grants programs, including eligibility
requirements and application procedures. Detailed indexes and appendices,
including addresses of state and regional offices, many of which are authorized
to distribute funds directly to local recipients. Free to Members and staff from
the General Services Administration (GSA), (202) 501-0563; district offices
should get their own print copy; constituents may purchase from GPO, use at a
large local library, or search the Web version. The GSA Internet site
[http://www.cfda.gov/default.htm] enables keyword searching and has various
indexes by department, agency, program, and subject, in addition to listings of
state and regional federal information contacts. For House D.C. or district
offices wishing to search the Catalog for constituents, contact House
Information Resources, ext.5-6002 [http://Intranet.House.gov/] to produce
custom searches via the HIR Federal Funds Expre$$ site.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Is there a federal program that would provide money for a firehouse?
For the mayor of a small town, where can I find out what federal programs
might fund local projects?
Does the federal government give scholarships?
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Are there any project grants available for historic preservation?
How can I get a summer job with the federal government?
Current Names and Numbers
Carroll’s Federal Executive Directory. Washington, Carroll Publishing. New edition
every other month.
This has 75,000 entries which cover the executive office of the President,
cabinet departments, major federal administrative agencies, and Congress.
Names, titles, addresses, phones, and fax numbers are listed by agency, office,
or departments; names are indexed alphabetically; office functions and sub-
agencies are also indexed. Carroll also publishes other useful directories,
including ones covering offices at the federal regional, state, county, and
municipal levels.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Are there any federal information centers in our state?
What offices in the government are concerned with solar energy?
Who’s the chief counsel for the Internal Revenue Service?
Margaret Lamontagne works for the White House. What is her position?
Federal Staff Directory. Alexandria, VA, CQ Staff Directories. Semiannual.
Lists over 30,000 key federal executives and military leaders who draft
regulations, interpret policy, disseminate information, authorize grants, and
contract for goods and services. For each, gives job title, address, and telephone
number; for the 2,600 top-level civilian and military authorities and senior
assistants, gives biographies. Also available is the annual Judicial Staff
Directory, which lists some 14,000 judges and staff who run the federal courts
from the Supreme Court through the Circuit Courts of Appeal and District and
Bankruptcy Courts and includes some 2,000 biographies.
Federal Yellow Book; Who’s Who in Federal Departments and Agencies.
Washington,
Leadership Directories. Quarterly.
Similar to the Federal Executive Directory (see above), but with focus
exclusively on the executive branch. Extensive listings of 35,000 staff by
department and agency. Includes federal regional offices and maps of federal
regions.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Who’s the head of the Civil Division at the Justice Department?
What’s the number of the Iraq desk at the State Department?
Are there any federal regional offices in our state?
Who’s in charge of GPO?
Is there a number at HUD for information on grants?
Whom can I talk to in HHS about what’s being done in AIDS research?
Regulations and Regulatory Agencies
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Washington, GPO. Revised annually.
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The CFR codifies final regulations having general applicability and legal
effect which have first appeared in the Federal Register (see below). They are
arranged by subject in 50 titles (over 190 volumes). The annual revision, done
on a quarterly basis, incorporates new regulations and drops superseded ones,
so that the CFR reflects regulations in effect at the time of printing.
[http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr]
Federal Register. Washington, GPO. Daily Monday through Friday.
Official announcement of regulations and legal notices issued by federal
agencies, including presidential proclamations and executive orders, proposed
and final department and agency orders and regulations, documents required to
be published by Act of Congress, and announcements of meetings. Daily and
monthly indexes, including List of CFR Sections Affected, assist in its use.
Internet: [http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html].
Federal Regulatory Directory. 8th ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1997.
Provides background information on federal agencies which issue and
enforce regulations, including each agency’s authority to regulate, how
regulations are published, and information on recent activities. Also gives
biographies of commissioners and board members; telephone contacts in regional
agencies; and congressional oversight committees.
Types of questions that can be answered:
How are handguns regulated?
How can you register a complaint against a household moving company?
Which agency monitors asbestos usage?
Are there federal standards for private pensions?
Are there any truth-in-advertising standards for seeds?
Who regulates hazardous materials?
The President
CQ Guide to the Presidency. 2nd ed. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1996.
2 v.
Explains in one volume the origins, evolution, and contemporary workings
of the presidency. Included are excerpts from 40 documents significant to the
presidency, a complete listing of cabinet members from the administrations of
Presidents Washington to Bush (to 1989), and charts showing Gallup poll ratings
of Presidents Truman through Reagan. The highest court of the land is given
similar historical and analytical treatment in the CQ Guide to the U.S. Supreme
Court, 3rd ed. (Washington, Congressional Quarterly, 1997).
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. Washington, GPO. Weekly, with
quarterly, semiannual, and annual indexes.
Provides transcripts of presidential messages to Congress, executive orders,
announcements of appointments, nominations, resignations and retirements,
speeches, and other material released by the White House Source for such
information as the dates on which the President signed or vetoed legislation.
CRS-18
Public messages, speeches, and statements of the President are later compiled in
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Washington, GPO).
[http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara003.html]
Directories of Organizations, Corporations, and
State Agencies
General
Encyclopedia of Associations. Detroit, Gale Group. Annual.
Standard directory of national and international membership organizations
covering all subject areas, including fraternal, social, business, veterans, public
affairs, and cultural associations. It is possible to look up an organization by
name or keyword and find a brief description of the group, current address,
telephone number, chief officer, publications, and conventions. The subscription
Web version of this directory is bookmarked for congressional staff use in LCRR
and research centers.
Types of questions that can be answered:
What’s the address of the National Organization for Women?
I’m interested in proposals to change the calendar; are there any groups I
could contact?
Where can a constituent who wishes to adopt a child from abroad get
information?
Where would one get lessons in flying a hot air balloon?
I have a gifted child; what groups can I contact for help and information?
Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations. 15th ed. Detroit, Gale
Group. Annual.
A guide to over 6,000 permanent, continuing, and ad hoc U.S. presidential,
congressional, and public advisory committees; interagency committees; and
other government-related boards, panels, task forces, commissions, conferences,
and other similar bodies serving in a consultative, coordinating, advisory,
research, or investigative capacity. Includes active and terminated bodies.
Descriptions include history and authority, program, membership, staff, address,
telephone number, and fax number if available.
National Trade and Professional Associations. Washington, Columbia Books.
Annual.
Describes about 7,000 national trade associations, labor unions,
professional, scientific, or technical societies, and other national organizations
composed of groups united for a common purpose. Gives address, telephone
and fax numbers, membership and staff sizes, president or chief executive officer,
annual budget, publications, and annual meetings.
Public Interest Profiles, 2001-2002. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Biennial.
Information about more than 200 influential public interest and public
policy organizations in areas such as the environment, consumer affairs,
CRS-19
community/grassroots interests, and think tanks. Gives budget data and funding
sources, board of directors, publications, current concerns, methods of
operation, phone and fax numbers, conferences, and political action committee
information.
Washington Information Directory. Washington, Congressional Quarterly. Annual.
See entry above in the section on the Federal Government: Executive and
Judicial.
Political Action Committees and Lobbyists
Almanac of Federal PACs. Washington, Amward Publications. Biennial.
Based on campaign finance statistics maintained by the Federal Election
Commission, this directory includes every political action committee which
contributed $50,000 or more to candidates who were seeking election in the year
covered by the volume. Also identifies PACs which contribute lesser amounts
to federal candidates but are “affiliated” with other PACs.
Congressional Record. Washington, GPO. Daily when Congress is in session.
New lobbyists’ registrations and reports of lobbyists’ receipts and
expenditures of the previous quarter are published four times each year by the
House Records and Registration Office. For a complete picture of currently
active lobbyists, reports for the most recent four quarters should be checked.
The lists can be located through the indexes under “Lobbying.” CQ Weekly also
publishes a selective list of lobbyists, based on the official lobby registrations,
once a month in an issue of the magazine.
Washington Representatives. Washington, Columbia Books. Annual.
Lists some 14,000 individual, 600 law and public relations firms, more
than 11,000 companies and interest groups with representatives in Washington,
D.C. Information is taken from lobby registration files with the clerk of the
House and secretary of the Senate; foreign agent registrations at the Department
of Justice; the Federal Election Commission; annual company reports to the
various regulatory agencies; and annual questionnaires sent to each Washington
area office listed.
Types of questions that can be answered:
Who represents General Dynamics on Capitol Hill?
What clients are represented in Washington by the lobbying firm Timmons
and Co.?
What American law firms represent Japanese business interests in
Washington?
What is the Congressional Accountability Project, and who speaks for it in
dealings with the U.S. government?
CRS-20
Business Directories
The La Follette Congressional Reading Room and each research center has a
selection of standard business directories, including Standard and Poor’s Register of
Corporations (N.Y., Standard and Poor’s; annual), Directory of American Firms
Operating in Foreign Countries (N.Y., Uniworld; irregular), Standard Directory of
Advertisers (N.Y., National Register; annual), and various Moody’s manuals, for
example Moody’s Industrial; ... Bank and Financial; ... Transportation (N.Y.,
Moody’s Investors Service; annual with weekly updates). These give (variously)
company addresses, telephone numbers, chief officers, products or services, sales
figures; and (in the case of Moody’s) more extensive profiles.
Education and Internships
Other directories of specialized interests useful for information contacts and
constituent referrals are located in each CRS Reader Services facility. In the area of
education, the HEP Higher Education Directory (Falls Church, VA, Higher
Education Pubs.; annual) not only lists colleges and universities by state (with brief
pertinent information), but gives the congressional district for each institution. Some
other directories, such as [year] Internships: 50,000 On-the-Job Training
Opportunities for Students and Adults (Princeton, Peterson’s Guides; annual), The
Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools (Newton, PA, Law School Admission Services;
annual), and Medical School Admission Requirements (Washington, Association of
American Medical Colleges; annual) are also included in the Education collection in
each Reader Services facility.
Media Directories
Media directories (covering both print and broadcasting) are also frequently
consulted by congressional staff and interns. Each CRS collection includes the
Broadcasting/ Cablecasting Yearbook (Washington, Broadcasting Publications;
annual), Editor and Publisher (N.Y., Editor and Publisher; annual), Gale Directory
of Publications and Broadcast Media (Detroit, Gale Group; annual), Hudson’s
Washington News Media Contacts Directory (Rhinebeck, NY, Hudson’s; annual),
Standard Directory of Periodicals (N.Y., Oxbridge; annual), and Working Press of
the Nation (Chicago, National Research Bureau; annual). Some are arranged by
geographic areas (state, city), such as the Gale Directory; others have subject
arrangement, such as the Standard Directory of Periodicals.
State and Local Directories
Sometimes a constituent can best be referred to a state or local agency or
organization—for example, to register consumer complaints or get funds for a local
project. Directories to help identify appropriate sources include Carroll’s County,
Municipal, State, and Federal Regional Executive Directories (Washington, Carroll
Publishing; quarterly); State Administrative Officials Classified by Function
(Lexington, KY, Council of State Governments; biennial); State and Regional
Associations of the United States (Washington, Columbia Books; annual); and the
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State Yellow Book; Who’s Who in the Executive and Legislative Branches of the 50
State Governments (N.Y., Leadership Directories; quarterly).
Biographical Information
(See also the Congress and Federal Government sections of this report)
Biographical directories generally give a brief outline of the person’s life, the
familiar “who’s who” paragraph, including date of birth and family history, some
education or academic degrees, a job or position history, and a current address. A
work such as Current Biography (see below) provides a more extensive, discursive
profile. For additional information, do a periodical or newspaper literature search for
articles on the person. Some standard biographical directories include:
Current Biography. New York, Wilson. Monthly except August with annual
cumulations.
Objective, accurate, and well-documented biographical profiles of
prominent individuals in all fields of human accomplishment the world over.
Includes a photograph of each and citations to other articles. Available at walk-
up PCs in LCRR and research centers, from 1940 to within a month or two of
the current date. Web subscription available at CRS client computers.
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. New York, Martindale-Hubbell. Annual.
Source of information for and about the legal community, providing profiles
of lawyers and law firms. Now has an alphabetical index to all names in the
geographically-arranged, multivolume directory.
Who’s Who Among African Americans. Detroit, Gale Group. Annual.
Biographies of prominent blacks in all areas of achievement. Includes
geographic and occupations indexes, reflecting U.S. and international entries and
150 fields of work, from accounting to zoology.
Who’s Who in America. Chicago, Marquis. Biennial.
Americans of significant position or achievement in the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches of government; high ranking military officers;
officials of state governments; officials of principal cities; leading government
officials of Canada and Mexico; principal officers of major national and
international businesses; ranking administrative officials of major universities and
colleges; heads of leading philanthropic, cultural, educational, professional, and
scientific institutions and associations; selected members of honorary
organizations; chief ecclesiastics of the principal religious denominations; and
recipients of major national and international awards. For each, includes vital
statistics, education, career summary, writings and creative works, awards,
association memberships, home and office addresses.
Marquis also publishes regional volumes for specific areas of the United
States (Who’s Who in the East, ... the Midwest, ... the South and Southwest,
and ... the West); a retrospective series Who Was Who in America; an
international Who’s Who in the World; and numerous directories by specific
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occupation or group. These last include: Who’s Who in American Law, ... in
Finance and Industry, ... in Government, and ... of American Women. Finally,
the annual Index to Marquis Who’s Who Books provides easy access to all
volumes.
Who’s Who in American Politics. New York, Bowker. Biennial.
Definitive biographical directory about Americans who are active in
politics, ranging from the President to local figures.
Foreign Countries and International Affairs
Background Notes. Washington, GPO. Irregular.
For each country of the world, the U.S. State Department prepares briefing
reports for its staff going abroad. The profile summarizes geographical and
population characteristics; history; government, major political parties, and
political conditions; the economy; foreign relations; travel notes; and
bibliography of additional sources. Currently, LCRR and research centers rely
on the Web version of this source for up-to-date information.
[http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/index.html]
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. Springfield, VA,
National Technical Information Service. Bimonthly.
Current listing of world leaders, prepared by the Central Intelligence
Agency.
[http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/]
The Europa World Year Book. London, Europa. Annual.
Provides detailed information on the political, economic, and commercial
institutions of the world. Contains information about international organizations
as well as country by country.
Foreign Consular Offices in the United States. Washington, GPO. Quarterly.
Complete, official listing of consular offices in the United States, with
names of recognized consular officers. Since regulations affecting both trade
and travel are the particular province of the consular service of the nations
involved, reliable information on entrance requirements, consignments of foods,
details of transshipment, and, in many instances, suggestions on consumer needs
and preferences may be obtained at foreign consular offices throughout the
United States.
[http://www.state.gov/www/travel/consular_offices/fco_index.html]
Legislation on Foreign Relations Through [year]. Washington, GPO. Irreg. 5 v.
Set of laws and related material frequently referred to by the Committees
on Foreign Relations of the Senate and Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives, amended to date and annotated to show pertinent history or
CRS-23
cross references. Volumes I, II, III, and IV contain legislation and related
material; volume V contains treaties.
Treaties in Force; A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the
United States in Force on [date]. Washington, GPO. Annual.
Provides information on treaties and other international agreements to
which the United States has become a party and which are carried on the records
of the Department of State as being in force as of January 1 of each year.
Available in PDF format:
[http://www.state.gov/www/global/legal_affairs/tifindex.html].
The World Factbook. Washington, Central Intelligence Agency. Annual.
The Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of
U.S. government officials. Information is provided by various agencies of the
federal government, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of the
Census, Defense Intelligence, Department of State, Fish and Wildlife Service,
Maritime Administration, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and other
public and private sources.
Internet: [http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html]
Quick Facts, Statistics, and Quotations
Facts and Statistics
Chase’s Calendar of Events. Chicago, Contemporary Books. Annual.
Almanac of holidays and events, including national and state days, events
sponsored by organizations, historic anniversaries, folkloric events, birthdays,
religious observances, and holidays for which Presidential Proclamations are
issued (for these last, includes a 2- year listing). For each holiday, gives a brief
description, sponsoring group or agency, legislation or proclamation. In
addition, Chase’s includes a number of other useful listings, including national
days of the world, U.S. hurricane names for the current year and future years,
major awards (such as Oscars and Pulitzer Prizes) presented for the most recent
year available, and a perpetual calendar.
Facts on File; The Indexed Record of World Events. New York, Facts on File.
Weekly with annual and 5-year cumulations.
Digest of and detailed index to world news information. Provides a factual,
detailed, and up-to-date source for swift answers to questions on current events.
Excellent for news story summaries, names, and date verification. Also cover
deaths, science, sports, medicine, education, religion, crime, books, plays, films,
and persons prominent in the news. Can be searched electronically on client
terminals in LCRR and research centers via Web subscription on OCLC
FirstSearch—select “News & Current Events” database area.
CRS-24
Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, GPO. Annual.
Social, political, and economic statistics of the United States—the first
place to look for almost any kind of numbers and figures, covering all U.S.
subjects. Useful compilation of every major statistical series collected by the
federal government, state governments, and national organizations. Subject
arrangement, with detailed index. Much information broken down by state; see
“state data (for individual state)” in index for complete list. Source to contact
if more information is needed given with each table.
Types of questions that can be answered:
How many bills and resolutions were introduced in the last Congress?
What are the statistics on cigarette smoking in the United States?
What have been the dollar costs of American wars?
What percentage of registered voters ages 18-20 voted in 1992, 1994,
1996, 1998?
How many physicians in the United States graduated from foreign medical
schools?
What American industries are being acquired by foreign investors?
What’s the average salary for a school teacher?
What’s the highest elevation in the USA? The lowest?
The World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York, World Almanac. Annual.
One of several general annual almanacs, a useful compendium of current
factual information and statistics in all subject areas. Includes facts on U.S.
states and cities; foreign countries; flags and maps in color; sports; chronology
of previous year, etc.
Types of questions that can be answered:
How many people in the world speak Japanese?
What does the law on succession to the presidency say?
Is a liter bigger than a quart?
What have been the leading mutual funds historically?
Have third parties ever really influenced the presidential election?
How far is it between Chicago and New York?
World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago, World Book. Annual revision.
Standard reference encyclopedia in LCRR and Centers, along with the
Encyclopedia Americana and Encyclopaedia Britannica. Short articles
supplemented with chronologies of important dates and events, lists of important
figures, statistical information, tables, and charts. Includes bibliographies and
detailed index volume.
Quotations
To assist congressional staff and Members searching for appropriate quotations
to insert in their writing, or to verify some familiar sayings, LCRR and the Research
Centers include a selection of quotation books. These collections are intended
primarily for user self-service. In addition, CRS staff has access to CD-ROMs such
as Gale Quotations, Granger’s World of Poetry, and Masterplots Complete to assist
congressional offices verify specific quotations and works.
CRS-25
General quotation compilations cover a broad range of subjects. Such works
include:
Respectfully Quoted; A Dictionary of Quotations Requested from the Congressional
Research Service (Washington, Library of Congress, 1989)
Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs
Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature. 16th ed. (Boston,
Little, Brown, 1992)
Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1995)
Other compilations of quotations focus on specific subjects, such as:
Contemporary Quotations in Black (Westport, CO, Greenwood, 1997)
Encyclopedia of Supreme Court Quotations (Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe, 2000)
Political Quotations: A Collection of Notable Sayings on Politics from Antiquity
Through 1989 (Detroit, Gale Group, 1990)
Will the Gentleman Yield? The Congressional Record Humor Book (Berkeley, CA,
Ten Speed Press, 1987)
The Bible According to Mark Twain: Writings on Heaven, Eden, and the Flood
(Athens, University of Georgia Press, 1995)
A Dictionary of Quotations from Sshakespeare: A Topical Guide to Over 3,000
Great Passages from the Plays, Sonnets, and Narrative Poems (New York,
Dutton, 1992)
Quotations from Abraham Lincoln (Chicago, Nelson-Hall, 1977)
The Wit & Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin: A Treasury of More than 900 Quotations
and Anecdotes (New York, HarperCollins, 1995)