Government Publications

CIS/Index, Abstract, & Legislative Histories

CIS/Index is a guide to congressional hearings, prints, documents, reports, and special publications. The Index is issued monthly and cumulated annually. Since 1984, an annual Legislative Histories volume has provided background and summary information on new Public Laws. Using the Index and Abstract volumes is a 3-step process.

STEP 1: SEARCH THE INDEX VOLUME

The Index volume contains several indexes:

1. Index of Subjects and Names.
2. Index of Titles.
3. Index of Bills and Congressional Publication Numbers.
4. Index of Superintendent of Documents Numbers.
5. Index of Committee and Subcommittee Chairmen.
   
   

STEP 2: SEARCH THE ABSTRACT VOLUME

The CIS ACCESSION NUMBERS in the Index lead to publication entries in the corresponding Abstract volume. The Abstract entry will include a description of the publication's subject matter and purpose, a summary of the contents, and full bibliographic data.

STEP 3: RETRIEVE THE PUBLICATION

Use the Superintendent of Documents [SuDoc] NUMBER found in the bibliographic portion of the abstract to locate the publication in the paper or microform collection of McIntyre Library's Government Publications Department. NOTE: If the accession number has a decimal point (as in H 181-59.4), you are being directed to a page within a publication. To find the classification number needed to locate the document, backtrack in the Abstract volume until you find the accession number assigned to the entire publication (in this example, H 181-59). This main entry will give the bibliographic information and the classification number.

Legislative Histories of U.S. Public Laws (1984 - )

Using the annual Legislative Histories helps researchers trace the development of a law from its first consideration through its arrival on the President's desk. It is of value to anyone concerned with the legislative process or with congressional efforts to respond to particular issues and problems. Each Public Law History contains an abstract of the public laws and full bibliographic citations for all relevant documents from the current and prior congresses. The laws are arranged by Public Law number and are indexed by subject, name, title, and bill number.