Congressional Information Service
Introduction
Congressional Information Service, now a part of LexisNexis, provides indexing for Congressional hearings, documents, reports, and committee prints. The full-text of items indexed are available in a companion microfiche set. The Law Library has subscribed to the microfiche collection since 1970.
Accessing the Microfiche
The printed indexes, which are called CIS Index are located in the bookcase to the right of the Reference Desk at call number KF49 .C62. There are three volumes to each annual compilation: a subject index volume, an abstract volume and a volume that contains legislative history for bills that have become public laws. Material issued for the current year is indexed quarterly.Follow these steps to locate material of interest:
- Locate the subject index for the appropriate year
- Subject index also contains names of persons testifying before committees.
A numeric code (abstract number) will be provided after the subject entry and contains the following information: the branch of Congress, a numerical designation for the committee responsible for issuing the material, a designation for the type of material and a sequential number. The abstract number can be read as follows using H521-17 as an example:
H= House
52=Committee on the Judiciary
1=Hearing (Type of material)*
17=Sequential number
*Type of materials may be the following:
0= Document
1= Hearing
2= Print
3= Report
- Look for the abstract volume from the same year as the subject index
- Locate the abstract number in the volume
- A full description for the item will be provided
- The complete item in microfiche format is filed by year and abstract number in the Koren AV Center.
In addition, materials may also be located via Congressional Universe, an online service available to the UB community. For assistance with using the online service, please consult a reference librarian.