On August 2, 2017, the Government Printing Office announced
the release of a digitized version of the Congressional Record (Bound Edition)
from 1941-1950, which is available for free viewing here. This latest
addition supplements previous releases of the Congressional Record begun
earlier this year and provides users with access to the digitized Congressional
Record from 1941-2001, 2005-2007.
Published for the first time in 1873, the Congressional
Record is a record of debates and proceedings in Congress and is published
daily whenever Congress is in session. It provides legal researchers with a
wealth of legislative history material, as well as ensuring that Congressional
proceedings and debates remain open and transparent. At the end of each
Congressional session, the daily editions of the Congressional Record are bound
into a single volume, re-paginated, and re-indexed for future ease of searching
and use.
The newly digitized volumes from 1941-1950 cover a large
span of important historical events, including World War II, the Presidencies
of Roosevelt and Truman, the design and implementation of the Marshall Plan,
and the beginnings of the Cold War. For example, one can now view the original
Congressional Record edition containing President Roosevelt’s speech to Congress
following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (87
Cong. Rec. 9504 (1941)).
The digitized versions of the Congressional Record (Bound
Edition) are downloadable as PDFs and also allow for in-text searching. The GPO
provides a useful organizational framework for accessing the volumes, with each
volume typically divided by date and then subdivided by either House or Senate
records.
In addition to this free resource from the GPO, UNC Law
students and faculty also have access to PDF digitized versions of the
Congressional Record (Bound Edition) through HeinOnline and ProQuest
Congressional (1873-2012).
Posted by Melissa M. Hyland on Thu. August 3, 2017 8:28 AM
Categories:
Uncategorized