Human rights: primary sources

The United States Congressional Record and its predecessor titles comprise the published account of the debates, proceedings, and activities of the United States Congress. Since 1947 each day's Record also contains the Daily Digest, which recounts by chamber the day's activities, including the number of bills introduced, the floor actions taken that day, a summary of meetings held that day by committees and for what purpose, and a list of committee meetings scheduled for the next day and on what topics (at the end of each week a list of committee meetings scheduled for the following week, and their topics, is printed).

• A Century of Lawmaking from the Library of Congress provides browseable access to the Annals of Congress, the Register of Debates, and the Congressional Globe.
• Full text of the Annals of Congress, Register of Debates, Congressional Globe, and Congressional Record is searchable via U. S. Congressional Documents, Hein Online
  
• Full text of the Annals of Congress, Register of Debates, Congressional Globe, and Congressional Record is also availabe and searchable via  Proquest Congressional.
• Annals of Congress, 1st-18th Congress, 1st Session (1789-1824):  the print volumes are located in Recap (request retrieval from the Main Catalog).
  
• Register of Debates, 18th Congress, 2nd Session 25th Congress (1824-1837):  the print volumes are located in Recap (request retrieval from the Main Catalog).
  
• Congressional Globe, 23rd-42nd Congress (1833-1873):  the print volumes are located in Recap and in Annex A (request retrieval from the Main Catalog)
• Congressional Record, 43rd Congress to present (1873- ):  in paper, unbound current issues located in U.S. Documents Collection shelved at X 1.1/A (A-13-H), bound volumes are located in Recap (request retrieval from the Main Catalog).
• Congressional Record, 76th Congress, 3rd session (1940) v. 86, 78th-90th Congress, 1st session (1943-1967) v. 89-113, 93rd- 96th Congress, 1st session (1973-1979), v. 119-125:  on microfilm shelved at MICROFILM S00344, located in Microforms Service (C Floor, Firestone Library). Microfilm includes appendices.
  

Note: For detailed information about whether appendices are included in the print, microfilm, or online versions please see the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C. webpage.

Committees provide intensive consideration to a proposed measure as well as the forum where the public is given their opportunity to be heard. When a public hearing is set in a committee or subcommittee, an official reporter is present to record the testimony on the bill or relevant subject matter.

Full text of Congressional hearings (1824-present) is availabe from Proquest Congressional.

Paper holdings

• 1st to 95th Congress (1789-1978):  located primarily in Firestone stacks, arranged by Library of Congress call numbers (these call numbers can be found by searching the Main and Supplementary catalogs)
• 96th-112th Congress. (1979-2012):  located either in Documents Off-site Storage (request retrieval through email: docstor@princeton.edu) OR in Recap (request retrieval through the Main Catalog).

Microfiche available from Congressional Information Service Microfiche Collection. Search for CIS number using Proquest Congressional and then retrieve microfiche through the Main Catalog - (search Main Catalog for title: CIS Microfiche Library.) 

• 89th-112th Congress (1965-2012):  located in Recap and arranged by year and CIS number.

Selected hearings from the 105th Congress to date are available from FDsys

Unpublished Hearings (search for the CIS number using Proquest Congressional or the CIS Index to Unpublished House and Senate Hearings  (KF40.C55 located in Recap and use the fiche collection at Rutgers University)

• 18th-91st Congress (1824-1971) Senate Hearings:  CIS microfiche collection, Alexander Library at Rutgers University
  
• 23rd-74th Congress (1834-1936) House hearings: CIS microfiche collection, Alexander Library at Rutgers University