Resource of the Month: Congress.gov
October 11, 2016
As we focus on the current Presidential Election, a Library of Congress blog post, Time to Say Goodbye to Thomas, reminds us to check in on our other branches of government. THOMAS.gov retired on July 5, 2016, and Congress.gov is now the place to go to find out what Congress is doing.
The site provides not only information on what Congress has done and is currently doing, but resources for all who want to understand and get involved in the legislative process. Coverage for legislative information includes committee reports and the Congressional Record starting from the 104th Congress and member profiles are available from the 93rd Congress to present.
Need a primary source for a history class? A gallery of U. S. Founding Documents provides lots to choose from. One can easily create a free account to set up alerts tracking particular bills, congressional members, or any aspect of the business of government reported in the Congressional Record. Help is available:
- Quick Start Guide
- Two minute tip videos
- Don't know what one of the abbreviations stands for? Check out Definitions of types of legislation.
You can also follow Congress.gov through various social media channels, view the Ways to Connect at the bottom of the landing page.
Resource of the Month provides a very brief introduction to a useful website or Library database, highlighting key features you should know about. If you would like more information about this free web resource (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of this resource for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using this form.