Prepared by committee research staffs, by the Library of Congress, or by independent consultants, they have evolved over the years as a means of providing members with the authoritative background information needed to consider complex issues of national policy.
Prints are diverse in form as well as function and focus on practically every topic of significance.
Usually published in editions of fewer than a thousand copies, in the past most prints were available only from the originating committees and only while supplies lasted. Many of the prints have never before been cataloged, and few have been listed in a consistent, detailed subject index. This sophisticated reference tool incorporates several sections. A Reference Bibliography presents full bibliographic data and lists assigned subject and author indexing terms for each committee print. The Index by Subjects and Names is an alphabetical index to the basic subject matter of publications, the names of individuals and organizations as subjects and authors, the names of issuing committees, the names of bills and public laws, and selected publication and information types.