Background Members of Congress receive thousands of requests daily from constituents wanting information about a wide variety of subjects. Many inquiries relate to current laws and legislation or topics of shared public and congressional interest and concern, but others are the types of reference or research questions that are handled routinely in libraries. However, in an effort to provide as much assistance as possible to constituents wishing additional information on their subjects, we offer the following suggestions on using materials in local libraries. How to Find Information in a Local Library Libraries today serve as clearinghouses for practical information as much as collections of learning, research, and bestsellers. Librarians can help one learn how a certain holiday originated, which agency to contact to lodge a consumer complaint, which food processor to buy, and much more.
Most areas have a city or county public library to help with reference and research problems.
College and university libraries often provide some public access to their collections. Even a small library has resources that, if used creatively, can often answer a question or at least suggest a source where information can be found. Every library has a reference collection of books for use in the library, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, periodical indexes, biographical directories, compilations of statistics, and so on. They can provide a great deal of information quickly. Many libraries have electronic online searching, usually for a fee, and CD-ROMs for readers to use themselves.