The Fred Parks Law Library

Library Guides Online

Using the U.S. Serial Set

By Jessica R. Alexander, Reference Librarian
Editing and Layout by James G. Durham, Publications and Reference Librarian

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Serial Set is a collection of more than 337,862 Congressional and Executive Branch documents produced between 1789 and 1969. A United States House of Representatives’ resolution, passed in 1813, ordered the compilation of these documents. The Serial Set includes more than 12,880 volumes and more than 11 million pages; and the compilation of these documents is ongoing.

The Congressional Information Service (CIS), a private for-profit subsidiary of Lexis-Nexis, is the major vendor of the Serial Set. The CIS Serial Set consists of two major parts: the Serial Set Index and the microfiche collection containing the documents. The CIS Serial Set contains four major classes of documents: Committee Reports, Documents, House and Senate Journals, and the American State Papers.

The Fred Parks Law Library http://www.stcl.edu/library/libhome.html recently has purchased the CIS Serial Set microfiche collection to accompany the CIS U.S. Serial Set Index, which was purchased several years ago. The call number for the index is Z1223 C582. For a complete description of the entire set, visit the CIS website at http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/default2.asp.

The Serial Set is not a complicated tool IF you plan your research and relax as you consult the index. Begin with as much specific information on your research subject as possible. Some types of information will speed your search considerably: the year of the Congress which promulgated the document, the Session of Congress, the Public Law number, the Committee name, and importantly the bill number for the particular Congressional Session.

The A-K Volume of each index contains condensed descriptions of the history, naming and numbering schemes of the Serial Set, and a "User’s Guide." If you are armed with specific information, you may skip the tortuous history. On the other hand, if you are interested in American history and government, the account provides informative reading and a detailed account of a young country in formation.

The key to a painless search of the Serial Set Index is a grasp of the organization and indexing scheme. The parts are divided chronologically:

I. American State Papers and the 15th – 34th Congresses, 1789-1857.

II. 35th – 45th Congresses, 1857-1879.

III. 46th – 50th Congresses, 1879-1889.

IV. 51st – 54th Congresses, 1889-1897.

V. 55th – 57th Congresses, 1897-1903.

VI. 58th – 60th Congresses, 1903-1909.

VII. 61st – 63rd Congresses, 1909-1915.

VIII. 64th – 68th Congresses, 1915-1929.

IX. 69th – 73rd Congresses, 1929-1934.

X. 74th – 79th Congresses, 1935-1946.

XI. 80th – 85th Congresses, 1947-1958.

XII. 86th Congress – 91st Congress, First Session, 1959-1969.

The indexes for each part (I-XII) of the Serial Set consist of:

Index of Subjects and Keywords divided into alphabets A-K and L-Z and appearing in their respective volumes.

And two finding lists:

Private Relief and Related Actions.
Numerical List of Reports and Documents.
In addition, Part XIII contains:
Index by Reported Bill Numbers for the years 1817-1969.

PART I: AMERICAN STATE PAPERS AND THE 15TH - 34TH CONGRESSES, 1789 - 1857.

If you are a history buff...if you need an historical overview of some aspect of American legislative or executive action...or if you need a specific document from the period 1789 through 1857... consult the American State Papers. According to the CIS web site, "[t]his retrospective assemblage of executive and congressional documents comprises thirty-eight volumes covering ten subject classes (for example: military affairs, public lands, and finance) from 1789 to 1823 or 1838, depending on the document class." The ten subject areas into which the American State Papers are organized concern foreign relations - especially with England and France, the military establishment, the banking system, and relations with Native American tribes. The ten subject classes are:

I. Foreign Relations

II. Indian Affairs

III. Finance

IV. Commerce and Navigation

V. Military Affairs

VI. Naval Affairs

VII. Post Office Department

VIII. Public Lands

IX. Claims

X. Miscellaneous

The documents, reports, and journals for the 15th – 34th Congresses are another division within Part I of the Serial Set.

PARTS II - XII: 35TH - 91ST CONGRESSES, 1857 - 1969

The remaining parts, with the exception of Part XIII, cover the period 1857-1969. The subject indexes are divided A-K and L-Z in separate volumes for each part. The finding lists for each part appear in a separate volume after the L-Z subject index volume. The subject indexes are the natural starting point for any research. Once you have found the volume and serial number of any document in the Serial Set, a library staff member will pull the required microfiche for you.

THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS
MAY ASSIST WITH THE "USER GUIDES":

SUBJECT INDEX A - K, L - Z

A computer-generated index containing subject terms compiled from each of the words in the document titles. The terms include proper names. See "User Instructions" in A-K volume, p. xii, for further details.

Find subject in the index. See document number for the item you want in italics. Go to the "User Instructions" in the "User Guide" at the beginning of volume A-K, p. xv, for a box which explains the meaning of each element in the entry. For example: Petition of citizens of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania for appropriation to remove to Africa all free Negroes and manumitted slaves. S. doc. 151 (24-1) 281.

In this instance, 151 is the document number assigned by Congress; 24-1 (24th Congress, 1st Session) is the number of the Congressional session; and 281 is the Serial Set volume number.

FINDING LIST: PRIVATE RELIEF AND OTHER ACTIONS - INDEX OF NAMES OF INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS

This index was compiled to weed the "Index of Subject and Keywords" of voluminous entries concerning individuals and organizations who were the recipients of a single transaction private relief not related to public policy. It provides references to relief affecting specific individuals in specific circumstances. However, the distinction between private and public documents is sometimes difficult to ascertain. A modern example of this relief was the proposal to make six-year-old Elian Gonzalez an American citizen in the wake of a custody dispute between Cuban Americans and the child’s father.

The index is alphabetical by proper name of the persons or organizations in the titles of documents where private relief is proposed or acted upon. Each entry contains the publication series number, Congress and Session, and serial volume number. The full titles are not listed but must be obtained from the Numerical List of Reports and Documents. See p. xv of the "User Guide" in volume A-K.

FINDING LIST: NUMERICAL LIST OF REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS

In Part I, there are two separate lists. The first is for the American State Papers and uses the ten subject divisions. The second indexes the 15th - 34th Congresses. Generally, these lists supplement the subject and private relief indexes by providing a formal title for the documents in those lists. Depending upon the period of time, documents may appear as Senate Documents, Senate Reports, House Documents or House Reports, Miscellaneous Reports, and Court of Claims Reports. The documents are divided by Congress and by Session.

FINDING LIST: SCHEDULE OF SERIAL VOLUMES

This list provides an overall view of the organization of the documents in the Serial Set and may be useful if you know that extensive reports on an important issue appeared during a particular Congress.

PART XIII: INDEX OF REPORTED BILL NUMBERS

These are documents relating to a particular bill from the 15th - 91st Congresses, 1817-1969.

SPECIAL NOTE ON MAPS

The Serial Set also contains maps, which may be accessed through the subject indexes using geographical terms as access points.