Accessing Pre-1976 Government Documents
In the
W.E.B. Du Bois Library

 Most federal government documents from 1976 onward are cataloged and accessible in the Library Catalog.  Federal government documents before 1976 are not in the Library Catalog, but are accessible through the use of paper catalogs, guides, and idexes, which are listed in this guide. Major resources and Internet sites dedicated to historical information are also listed, further enhancing access to the primary documents of American history.

Finding Aids: Catalogs, Guides, Indexes

     BLS Publications, 1978-98  
     (Bureau of Labor Statistics)  (Doc. Ref.  HD 8051 A62)  
     Contains numerical listing of all bulletins and reports, 
     and subject index of bulletins and reports. 

     BLS Publications, 1972-77 

     (Bureau of Labor Statistics)  (Doc. Ref. HD 8051 A62)

     Contains numerical listing of all bulletins and reports, and

     subject index of bulletins and reports.

     Bureau of the Census Catalog of Publications: 1790-1972  

     (Bureau of the Census)  (Doc Ref Z 7554 U5 U58 1974)

     Comprises a complete bibliography of all census materials

     issued from 1790-1972.  Indexed by subject.

     Checklist of United States Public Documents: 1789-1909

     (U.S. Government Printing Office)  3^rd edition, 1911

     (Kraus reprint, 1962)

     (Doc. Ref. Z 1223 A11 1962)

     Checklist of all public documents issued by the U.S. federal

     government during the first 125 years of its history.

     Index is by agency only.

     CIS Annual  (1970-  )  (Congressional Information

     Service) (Doc. Ref.  KF 49 C62 )

     Index and abstracts of Congressional publications and

     legislative histories. Includes subject, agency, and witness

     name indexes as well as Sudoc number and bill number

     indexes.

     CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings Index  (1833-1969)

     (Congressional Information Service) 

     (Doc. Ref. KF 40 C56 1981)

     Subject, agency, witness name index to Congressional

     hearings.  Includes a bibliograpic data and annotations

     for each hearing. 

     CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Prints Index 

     (mid 1800s-1969) (Congressional Information Service)

     (Doc. Ref. Z 1223 Z7 C66)

     Subject, name index to committee prints, which are

     informational reports to committees to help them in their

     work. Includes bibliographic data and annotations for each

     print.

     CIS U.S. Serial Set Index  (1789-1969) 

     (Congressional Information Service)

     (Doc. Ref. Z 1223 Z9 C65)

     Subject, name index to Congressional reports and

     documents.

     Government Documents Collection Shelflist 

     (Gov. Docs. Office)

     Card catalog containing an authoritative record of

     government documents received through 1995.   

         Arranged by SuDoc number, each card contains

     author, title, year of publication, pagination and notes.

     Guide to Federal Records in the National

     Archives of the United States

     (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA])

     (Ref. CD 3026 1995+)

     Descriptions of federal records in NARA as of 1997. 

     Records date from pre-federal times to 1997. 

     Also available online.

     Guide to U.S. Government Publications   

     (Thompson/Gale) (Doc. Ref. Z 1223 Z7 A573)

     Comprehensive, concise annotated guide to serials,

     periodicals and reference tools published by U.S.

     government agencies with brief histories of agencies.  

     Entries are listed by SuDoc numbers with title starting

     dates, earlier and later references and item number.

     Index of Patents  (1847-  ) 

     (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)

     1847-1871 (CIS Microfiche).  1872-      (Doc. Ref T 223.H21)

     Patentees and subject of inventions of each patent issued

     in the year of the index since 1954 are identified by the

     class and subclass numbers of the official U.S. Patent and

     Trademark Office classification.  Earlier years list patent

     numbers with Official Gazette volume and page numbers.

     Index of Trademarks  (1927-  ) 

     (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)

     (Doc. Ref. T 223.V13 U5)

     Annual index of trademarks, registrants, and related

     information.

     Index to United States Documents Relating to

     Foreign Affairs 1828-1861

     (3v. 1914-1925)  (Carnegie Institution of Washington) 

     (Z 1223.Z7 H2)

     Subject, name index to the published record of documents,

     papers, correspondence, legislation and decisions on

     foreign affairs.

     Popular Names of U.S. Government Report: a Catalog 

     4^th ed. 1984 (Library of  Congress)

     (Gov. Doc. Ref. Z 1223.A199 B47 1984)

     Indexed by subject, each entry is a full catalog record that

     includes full bibliographic information, the SuDoc number,

     and LC catalog number.

     United States Government Publications Monthly Catalog  
     (1855-  ) (U.S. Government Printing Office)

     (Doc. Ref. Z 1223 A18)

     Comprehensive index and permanent, authoritative catalog

     of federal public documents. Earlier years range from

     agency only index to subject index.  Later years include

     keyword, subject, title, agency, report number indexes.

     Vital and Health Statistics Series: an Annotated Checklist

     and Index to the Publications of the "Rainbow Series"

     Jim Walsh & A. Bothmer, comp.

     (Greenwood Press, 1991)  (Doc. Ref. Z 7165 U5 W27 1991)

     Complete reference guide to 853 health reports published

     from 1958 to 1991 through the use of indexes, abstracts

     and supplemental information.

Major Pre-1976 Government Documents

Historical Resources in the Library Catalog:

     Biographical Dictionary of the United States

     Congress: 1774 - present

     (Congressional Quarterly)  (Gov. Doc. Ref.  JK 1010.A5 )

     Lists rosters of executive offices 1789-  , and Congresses

     1789-   . Includes short biographies of all members of

     Congress from 1774-  .

     Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents

     1789-1897.  10v.  (J 81.B96)  Government Printing Office

 1897-1917.  20v.  (J 81.B96g) Joint Committee on Printing

 Letters, speeches, proclamations, and other primary

 source documents issued by Presidents George

 Washington through William Howard Taft.     

     Congressional hearings: 1833-1969  (microfiche)

     Accessed by CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings

     Index.  Transcripts of witness testimony before

     Congressional committees.  

     Congressional Record

     43rd Congress (1873) - 98th Congress  (1996) (J 11 R5)
     Earlier versions of the Congressional Record are located in

     the Five-College Depository.:

              Journals of the Continental Congress (1774-1789),

              Annals of Congress (1789-1824),

              Register of Debates (1824-1837),

              Congressional Globe (1833-1873)

     Primary source for references to congressional action and

     debate cited in THOMAS and CIS indexes.The official daily

     record of the proceedings on the floor of the House and the

     Senate.    

     [Federal Decennial Census volumes: 1790-1940]

     (Bureau of the Census) (Doc. Ref. C 3.790: - C 3.940:  )

     Statistical information on population, housing, social and

     economic status.

     Foreign Relations of the United States  (1861-  )

     (Dept. of State). (JX 233 A3)

     Annual reports of the activities of the Department of State a

     and analyses of foreign relations issues.

     Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office  (1893-  )

     (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)  (FC Depository)

     Issued weekly. Browse by classification or type of patent:

     utility, design, and plant. Specific patents can be accessed

     by class/subclass or patentee name. 

     Public Papers of the Presidents  (1929-  )  

     (Government Printing Office)  (J 82 D5-E7)

     Annual compilation of most of the public messages and

     statements of the President. The series includes volumes

     of past presidents from Hoover forward.

     Statistical Abstract of the United States  (1878-  )

     (Bureau of the Census)

     (REF HA 202.U58)  (Gov. Doc. C 3.134:910-  )

     Annual compendium of statistics on the social, political, and

     economic organization of the United States.

Internet Sites for Historical U.S. Government

Information

     AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History   
     (Kansas University)

     Primary documents from 1400 to 2005 that include excerpts

     from Christopher Columbus' journal, and the Massachusetts

     Bay Colony Charter, to George Bush's 2005 State of the

     Union address.    

     American Memory 
     (Library of Congress)

     Digital records of written and spoken words, sound

     recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet

     music that document the American experience are from the

     collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions.

     Century of Law Making for a New Nation  

     (Library of Congress)

     Contains journals, letters, and debates of the Continental

     Congress, Congressional bills, statutes,  American State

     Papers, journals and debates from 1774-1875.

     Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1909 
     (Evergreen State University)
     An approximately complete checklist of all public documents

     issued by the U.S. government during the first 125 years of its history. 

     Arranged by agency.

     Core Documents of U.S. Democracy

     (Government Printing Office)

     Current and historical government publications contain

     information which is vital to the democratic process and

     critical to an informed electorate.

     Guide to Federal Records in the National

     Archives of the United States

     (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA])

     Descriptions of federal records in NARA as of 1997. 

     Records date from pre-federal times to 1997. 

     Historical Publications of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
     (University of Maryland School of Law) 
     Complete record of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights publications in PDF format. 

     Publications are searchable by title, subject, date of publication, and SuDoc number.

     Historical Statistics of the United States 

     (Bureau of the Census)

     Statistics from colonial times to 1970 on a myriad of different

     subjects displayed in tables accompanied by narrative text

     describing sources and history of the compilation of the

     statistics. Also has the annual Statistical Abstract of the

     United States from 1878 to present.

     MeL: Historical Documents Collection  

     (State Library of Michigan).

     Alphabetical listing by title of Web sites containing federal

     documents relating to American history.

     Publications of the Bureau of Labor Statistics:1886-1967

     United States Historical Census Browser. 

     (University of Virginia).

     Data presented here describe the population and economy

     of U.S. states and counties from 1790 to1960.  

     Includes tables, maps, multiple-year comparisons.