CRS Report: 95-57 - Basic Reference Sources for Congressional Offices: An Annotated Selection of Publications and Services

Redistributed as a Service of the National Library for the Environment*

Basic Reference Sources for Congressional Offices
An Annotated Selection of Publications and Services

95-57C

CONTENTS FOR THIS SECTION

GENERAL REFERENCE SOURCES

ALMANACS AND CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIAS

ATLASES

DICTIONARIES AND THESAURI: Desk Dictionaries; Unabridged Dictionary; Thesauri and Synonym Dictionaries

DIRECTORIES
ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOL
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
NEWS MEDIA
POSTAL INFORMATION
QUOTATIONS
STATE GOVERNMENTS
STATISTICS
WRITERS' AND SECRETARIES' HANDBOOKS
ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

CRS PRODUCTS CITED IN THIS REPORT

INDEX OF TITLES MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT

GENERAL REFERENCE SOURCES

The ready reference books listed below are generally available. Prices given are 1994 prices and most titles are available through local bookstores or GPO.

ALMANACS AND CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIAS

Concise Columbia Encyclopedia. New York, Columbia University Press, 1989. $39.95.
Information Please Almanac [year]. Boston, Houghton Mifflin. Annual. $8.95.
Random House Encyclopedia. New York, Random House, 1990. $129.95.
World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York, St. Martin's Press. Annual. $8.95.

ATLASES

National Geographic Atlas of the World. Washington, National Geographic Society, 1993. $100.
Rand McNally Cosmopolitan World Atlas. New York, Rand McNally, 1994. $70.
Rand McNally Road Atlas & Vacation Guide 1995. New York, Rand McNally, 1994. $18.95.

DICTIONARIES AND THESAURI

Desk Dictionaries: American Heritage Dictionary. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1985. $17.95.; Webster's Desk Dictionary of the English Language. Avenal, New Jersey, Random House Value Publishing, 1990. $7.95.; Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 10th ed. Springfield, Massachusetts, Merriam Webster, 1990. $19.95.
Unabridged Dictionary: Random House Unabridged Dictionary. New York, Random House, 1987. $100.
Thesauri and Synonym Dictionaries: Roget's II The New Thesaurus. Boston, American Heritage Dictionary, 1988. $13.45.; Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. Detroit, Longman Inc., 1989. $9.95.; Webster's Synonyms, Antonyms & Homonyms. Avenal, New Jersey, Random House Value Publishing, 1994. $5.99.

DIRECTORIES

The Capital Source. Washington, National Journal. Semiannual. $25.: This compact directory provides a single source of addresses to Washington's various political, corporate, professional and media organizations. It is included with a subscription to the National Journal.
Encyclopedia of Associations (EA). Detroit, Gale Research, Inc. Annual.: vol. 1, National organizations of the United States. $415.; vol. 2, Geographic and executive index. $320.; vol. 3, New Associations and Projects (periodical supplement). $320.; "One of the first places to look for information on organizations, this directory is a comprehensive listing of more than 22,000 nonprofit national and international organizations with headquarters in the United States, arranged by broad category with indexes. EA is available online through DIALOG (file 114). The EA series also includes International Organizations and Regional, State and Local Organizations."
National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States. Washington, Columbia Books, Inc. Annual. $75.: "This annual directory lists over 6,400 organizations, providing name, address, telephone number, number of members, and chief administrator. For each entry it also indicates scope, membership dues, publications, and meetings. Specialized indexes included."
Washington '95. Washington, Columbia Books. Annual. $75.: This directory describes local as well as national organizations and institutions located in the Washington metropolitan area.
Washington Information Directory. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Annual. $99.95.: Nonprofit organizations, congressional committees, and executive agencies are listed together by subject.
Washington Representatives. Washington, Columbia Books, Inc. Annual. $90.: Lists over 10,000 lobbyists, foreign agents, consultants, legal advisors, public affairs and Government relations representatives, and the organizations they represent.

ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOL

Emily Post's Etiquette, by Elizabeth L. Post. New York, Harper and Row, 1992. $28.
Letitia Baldrige's Complete Guide to New Manners for the '90's, by Letitia Baldrige. New York, MacMillan, 1990. $25.95.
Protocol; the Complete Handbook of Diplomatic, Official and Social Usage, by Mary Jane McCaffree and Pauline Innis. Washington, Devon Publishers, 1985. $20.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. Springfield, Va., National Technical Information Service. Bimonthly. $140.: This publication is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency. Members of Congress may inquire about subscriptions by contacting the CIA's Office of Congressional Affairs at 703-482-6136.
Statesman's Year-Book; Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of the World. New York, St. Martin's Press. Annual. $85.: This British almanac provides detailed descriptions of international organizations and nations of the world.
Treaties in Force. Washington, GPO. Annual. $28.: This Department of State publication lists current treaties and international agreements of the United States.
World Factbook. Washington, Central Intelligence Agency. Available from GPO. Annual. $29.: This covers all the countries of the world, giving facts and figures about people, government, geography, communications, and defense forces for each. Maps are included. Congressional offices should contact the CIA congressional liaison.

HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Chase's Annual Events. Chicago, Contemporary Books, Inc. Annual. $47.95.: National holidays, State days, birthdays, and religious celebrations are described in chronological order with an alphabetical index. Lists of Presidential proclamations and measures introduced in Congress which acknowledge special observances are particularly useful.

NEWS MEDIA

Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook. New Providence, N.J., R. R. Bowker. Annual. $169.95.: This directory provides an in-depth listing of TV, radio, and cable stations across the United States. Other useful features include a description of the Federal Communications Commission and its regulations, along with a list of professional and trade associations.
Editor and Publisher International Yearbook. New York, Editor and Publisher. Annual. $100.: This yearbook provides a list of North American and foreign newspapers and news services. It also contains circulation statistics, cost of advertising, and the names of corporate officers and news executives. It has a list of the top 100 daily papers. As an industry-oriented publication it provides a broad overview of the press, but it also contains technical material.
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media. Detroit, Gale Research, Inc. Annual. $290.: This indexed three-volume directory provides a list to all forms of media in the United States and Canada. Because this publication is geared to the general researcher, and not to the media industry professional, it lacks the advertising and technical information of the industry yearbooks.
Hudson's Washington News Media Contacts Directory. Rhinebeck, N.Y., Newsletter Clearinghouse. Annual. $155.: This directory has been published annually since 1968 and is a comprehensive listing of the Washington news media. Included in the publication are free lance writers, radio and television correspondents, and the foreign press.
Television and Cable Factbook. Washington, Warren Publishing, Inc. Annual. $405.: vol. 1, TV Stations; vol. 2, Cable Systems; vol. 3, Services
Working Press of the Nation. New Providence, N.J., R. R. Bowker. Annual. $385.: vol. 1, Newspaper Directory; vol. 2, Magazine Directory; vol. 3, TV and Radio Directory; vol. 4, Feature Writer and Photographer Directory; vol. 5, Internal Publications Directory

POSTAL INFORMATION

National Five Digit ZIP Code and Post Office Directory. Washington, GPO. Annual. $18.

QUOTATIONS

The following selections are just a few of the more popular and affordable quotations books available. The La Follette Congressional Reading Room, the Jefferson Congressional Reading Room, and the various congressional reference centers have a large collection of quotation books for staff use.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. 16th ed. Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1992. $40.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. New York, Oxford University Press, 1981. $9.95.
The Great Quotations: A Unique Anthology of the Wisdom of the Centuries, compiled by George Seldes. New York, Carol Publishing Group, 1993. $17.95.
The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. 4th ed. New York, Oxford University Press, 1992. $35.
The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Quotations, by J. M. Cohen. New York, Penguin Books, 1971. $10.95.
Respectfully Quoted; a Dictionary of Quotations Requested from the Congressional Research Service, edited by Suzy Platt. Washington, Library of Congress, 1989. $29 from GPO.

STATE GOVERNMENTS

The Book of the States. Lexington, Ky., Council of State Governments. Biennial. $79.: This volume surveys the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of State governments, as well as intergovernmental affairs and all the major activities of the States. It is supplemented by the following directories:; Suppl. 1, State Elective Officials and the Legislatures; Suppl. 2, State Legislative Leadership, Committees and Staff; Suppl. 3, State Administrative Officials Classified by Function
State Executive Directory. Palo Alto, Calif., Carroll Publishing Company. Three times a year. $170 annual subscription.: "Over 60,000 entries list people, functions and offices of executive government at the state level."
State Yellow Book. Washington, Monitor Publishing Company. Quarterly. $225.: This well-indexed directory "is designed to give the user the most current information available on the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government." It also provides a brief three-to-five page portrait of each State, featuring the State seal, military installations, county population figures, and a bibliography.

STATISTICS


Economic Indicators. Washington, GPO. Monthly. $33 annual subscription.: Prepared for the Joint Economic Committee by the Council of Economic Advisors, this publication has tables providing national statistics on total output, income, and spending; employment, unemployment, and wages; production and business activity; prices; money, credit, and security markets; Federal finance; and international statistics. Each Member of Congress is sent a copy automatically.
Economic Report of the President. Washington, GPO. Annual. $14.: This report is prepared for the President by the Council of Economic Advisors. It includes statistical tables, from 1940 to the present, relating to income, employment, production, debt, and all aspects of the economy. Free copies may be obtained upon request from the House and Senate Document Rooms.
Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, GPO. Annual. $32.: Prepared by the Department of Commerce, this is the "standard summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States."

WRITERS' AND SECRETARIES' HANDBOOKS

American Usage and Style; the Consensus, by Roy H. Copperud. New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1979. $12.95.
Chicago Manual of Style. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1993. $40.
Gregg Reference Manual, by William A. Sabin. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1992. $27.50.
Harbrace College Handbook, by John C. Hodges and Mary E. Whitten. New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990. $22.
Secretary's Handbook, by Sarah Taintor and Kate Monroe. New York, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1988. $19.95.
United States Government Printing Office Style Manual. Washington, GPO, 1984. $15.