The United States House of Representatives Library (the House Library) is the library of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. The House Library is a division of the Legislative Resource Center, which is part of Office of the

Clerk of the United States House of Representatives The Clerk of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the United States House of Representatives, whose primary duty is to act as the chief record-keeper for the House. Along with the other House officers, the Clerk is elec ...

. The Library is located in the

Cannon House Office Building The Cannon House Office Building, often called the "Old House Office Building," completed in 1908, is the oldest congressional office building as well as a significant example of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. It occupies a site south of t ...

. The House Library is a legislative, law, and general reference library serving House Members and staff as well as the public. The House Library has been the official repository of the House of Representatives and the Office of the Clerk since 1792.

History

The first acquisition for the House Library occurred in 1792, when Congress directed the Clerk of the House to purchase reference materials "for the use of the House." In 1826, the House Library was directed to maintain two copies of all House publications; this mandate was later incorporated into the House Rules and is still in place today. From its creation until 1922, the Library was located in various rooms throughout the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

before it was moved to the newly built

in 1922. In addition to its main office, from 1858 to 1989, the House Library also maintained a reference room adjacent to the House Floor for the use of House Members. In 1995, the House Library became part of the newly created Legislative Resource Center (LRC), a division of the Office of the Clerk dedicated to making House information available to the public. The Library opened a new reading room available to congressional Members and staff in 2013.

Collection and services

The House Library's collection contains legislative, legal, historical, news, and general reference materials. The Library maintains a print collection of approximately 200,000 volumes dating from 1789 to the present. The collection includes the ''

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Inde ...

'', House bills and resolutions, House committee hearings and prints, the

United States Congressional Serial Set The United States Congressional Serial Set began in 1817 as the official collection of reports and documents of the United States Congress. The collection was published in a " serial" fashion, hence its name. It has been described as the "nation's m ...

, the

Statutes at Large ''Statutes at Large'' is the name given to published collections or series of legislative Acts in a number of jurisdictions. The expression "statutes at large" was first used in the edition of Barker published in 1587. England and Great Britain ...

, the

United States Code In the law of the United States, the Code of Laws of the United States of America (variously abbreviated to Code of Laws of the United States, United States Code, U.S. Code, U.S.C., or USC) is the official compilation and codification of the ...

, and many other resources related to the House, its activities, and its Members. In addition to its print collection, the Library subscribes to a number of databases to increase the speed with which users can access the information they need. The House Library serves present and former Representatives, congressional staff in DC and district offices, House leadership, House officers, and the public.

References

{{Authority control 1792 establishments in the United States Agencies of the United States Congress Libraries established in 1792

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

Research libraries in the United States

History

Collection and services

See also

References