Congressional Record: Overview

There are two different editions of the Congressional Record, and they have different page numbers. The hardcover version is considered the official (permanent) edition; there is also a daily, paperbound version. When citing the CR, be sure to indicate whether the reference is to the official edition or the daily edition.

For specific information on citing the Congressional Record, see the Citation Guidelines library guide or use the Library of Congress Citation Guide.

THOMAS, a database produced by the Library of Congress, is the single most useful source for recent congressional activity. It includes the text of the daily Congressional Record, bill summaries and status, a directory of congressional committee members and members of Congress, schedules of daily committee hearings, the text of public laws, roll call votes, committee reports, and more. Particularly useful is the HELP section.

Proquest Congressional. 1969-present. Includes some full text.

Congressional Record Index. Covers 1983-present.

There are sometimes indexes to the years of the Congressional Record issues in microfiche. They are filed at the beginning of the microfiche for a specific Congressional session (101st Congress first session, for example).

The Congressional Record and its predecessors, Annals of Congress (1789-1824), Register of Debates (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1834-1873), are daily records of activities on the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives in the United States Congress. The list below is arranged in descending chronological order of years covered; use it to locate the time period you are interested in. You may also want to consult the summaries and indexes included on this page.

Congressional Record. Daily Edition. Some issues are available online. All other holdings are located on the lower level of Belk Libary, and may be in paper, on microfiche, or on microfilm. The classification number varies over time. See:

1985-present. Online via ProQuest.
1985-present. Online via LexisNexis.
1994-present. Online.
1995-present. Online via the Library of Congress database THOMAS.
1993-2010. Microfiche. X1.1/A: .
1985-2004. Microfiche. X1.1: .
1985-1994. Microfiche. X/A: .
1979-1988. Microfiche. X96: through X100: .

Congressional Record. Permanent Edition. Some years are available online. All other holdings are located on the lower level of Belk Library. Some years are in microfiche, some in microfilm, and some in paper. The classification number varies over time. See:

1873-present. Online via ProQuest.
1993-2010. Microfiche. X1.1/A: .
1971-2006. Online via govinfo.gov
1977-2004. Microfiche. X1.1: .
1873-2004. Paper.  X1.1: .
1998-2002. Online, includes scattered issues.
1873-1976. Microfilm. X1.1: .

Congressional Globe.

1833-1873. Online.
1833-1873. Online via Proquest.
1833-1873. Microfilm.

1789-1856. Online. Abridgment of the Debates of Congress from 1789 to 1856. Summaries of debates.

1824-1856. Microfilm. Debates and Proceedings of Congress.

Register of Debates.

1824-1837. Online via Proquest.
1824-1838. Microfilm.
1824-1837. Online
1834-1835. Online.

Annals of Congress.

1789-1825. Online via ProQuest.
1789-1825. Online. Included in "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation."
1789-1825. Microfilm.

CQ Weekly. 1998-present.
Weekly summaries of Congressional activity.

CQ Almanac.
Covers the entire year of Congressional activity. The online version covers 1986-present. Print volumes for the years 1955-2010 are located in the Library's collection under call number JK1 C66.

Congressional Digest. 1921-present.
Monthly guide to congressional affairs.

Congress and the Nation. Annual overviews of Congressional actions, arranged by topic. The online version covers 1945-2008. Print volumes for the years 1945-2004 are located in the Library's collection under the call number KF49 C653.

Forte, Eric J., et al. Fundamentals of Government Information: Mining, Finding, Evaluating, and Using Government Resources. ZA5055 U6 F687 2011.

A full array of Library resources and services are available to distance learning students. See the App State Online library guide for more information.