Research Guides: How to Find U. S. Congressional Debates: Search or Browse Debates

Box Title without Line

Williams Libraries is a Congressionally-designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by Title 44 United States Code.

Librarian

Tath Haver

he/him

Contact:

Research Services
Sawyer Library
th13@williams.edu

413-597-4614

Subjects: Environmental Studies, Global Studies, History, Justice and Law, Leadership Studies, Political Science, Science and Technology Studies

Best Bet Library Databases

Search Form: Congressional Record from ProQuest
Search both the Congressional Record Bound (and predecessors) and the Congressional Record Daily.
Search Form: Congressional Record from HeinOnline
Same as above; includes the Journals of the Continental Congress.
Search Form: Congress.gov
Congressional Record from 1995; Freely available from Congress.gov

General Search Tips

Use synonyms with ORs to search more efficiently

(oil OR petroleum OR crude) AND Iraq
(Islam OR Muslim) AND (women OR girl OR female)
indulgences AND (catholic OR Rome OR pope OR papacy)

Truncate roots of important words

(abortion OR pregnan*) AND privacy
(livestock OR agricultur* OR meat) AND (ethic* OR moral)

Insert a “wild card” [*?] for variable letters

(globali*ation OR “global capitalism”) AND "latin america*"
(wom?n OR child) AND traffick*

Use “double quotes” to find exact phrases

"sustainable cities" AND develop*
(wolf OR wolves) AND "national park*"

ProQuest databases: use proximity searching:

progressiv* NEAR/10 tax*
"religious freedom" NEAR/20 "human right*"