Fall 2007 Federal Depository Library Council Meeting

Encouraging An Informed Citizenry:

Locating and Using Congressional Research Service Reports

presenters: Starr Hoffman & Bill Sleeman

• link to presentation and handout (PDF)
• link to the handout (MS Word)
• link to the presentation (PowerPoint)

DLC Audience, October 15th, 2007

Standing room only! We estimated that, including the people standing in the back and in the hall, there were about 125 people at the presentation. Thank you to everyone who attended, and particularly for all the great feedback!

Abstract

This program will present an overview of the historical difficulty of obtaining Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports and the significant value of their research to the public. It will focus on the current efforts being made to digitize, collect, and provide permanent public access to them, and how documents librarians can find and promote use of these valuable resources. The program will end with information on how to encourage your Congressperson to both provide those reports to their depositories and to support legislation for their public release.

45 minutes total -- 15-20 minutes each

Start with an overview of the history of CRS reports and access to them, and then segue into current archiving practices, ways to locate reports, etc. I think it would be great to view this as a "crash course" for newer docs librarians or for anyone who hasn't used CRS reports much. I'd like to not only talk about the difficulties in obtaining them and getting them to the public, but also showing examples of the information they contain, so that our audience can appreciate what a valuable resource they are.

(Bill will talk about OpenCRS.)

What is a CRS Report?

• published by the Congressional Research Service
• created by research specialists at CRS
• created for members of Congress
• center around topics relevant to current legislation
• sample CRS report:

About CRS

• public policy arm of the Library of Congress
• formed in 1914 to provide timely, objective research on legislative issues
• six interdisciplinary research divisions
  • American Law
  • Domestic Social Policy
  • Foreign Affairs Defense and Trade
  • Government and Finance
  • Information Research
  • Resources, Science and Industry
• yearly output:
  • almost 1,000 new documents
  • about 4,000 revised documents
  • several different products
    • short reports
    • long reports
    • issue briefs
    • info packs
    • and others

Current Public Access

• none through CRS
• must request reports from their member of Congress
• can purchase from several third-party vendors
• use one of the freely-provided CRS archives online (list later)
• key problem: must know of a specific report's existence before you can request it
  • cannot request reports based merely on a topic

Efforts toward Public Access

• started effort to put reports online in 1991
• legislation requesting publicly accessible website for CRS reports was introduced into Congress multiple times:
  • 1998 (S. 1578, H.R. 3131)
  • twice in 1999 (S. 393, H.R. 654)
  • 2001 (S.R. 21)
  • twice in 2003 (S.R. 54, H.R. 3630)
  • 2007 (H.R. 2545); introduced May 24th
    • The Congressional Research Accessibility Act
    • offical title: "To make available on the Internet, for purposes of access and retrieval by the public, certain information available through the Congressional Research Service web site."
    • reports would be made publicly accessible between 30 and 40 days of their publication on the internal CRS website
    • status: referred to the House Committee on House Administration
  • this legislation has never passed both houses of Congress

CRS Reports Archive at UNT

• over 10,000 reports available
• wide variety of subjects
• features:
  • browse by topic
  • full-text searching ability
• http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/

From CRS

About CRS

The Congressional Research Service is the public policy research arm of the United States Congress. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS works exclusively and directly for Members of Congress, their Committees and staff on a confidential, nonpartisan basis.

History and Mission

Congress created CRS in order to have its own source of nonpartisan, objective analysis and research on all legislative issues. Indeed, the sole mission of CRS is to serve the United States Congress. CRS has been carrying out this mission since 1914, when it was first established as the Legislative Reference Service. Renamed the Congressional Research Service by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, CRS is committed to providing the Congress, throughout the legislative process, comprehensive and reliable analysis, research and information services that are timely, objective, nonpartisan, and confidential, thereby contributing to an informed national legislature.

Some Sources for CRS Reports:

• OpenCRS
  • http://opencrs.com/
• CRS Reports at Thurgood Marshall Law Library
  • http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/crsreports/index.asp
• CRS Report Archive at the University of North Texas
  • http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/
• CRS Reports from the Federation of American Scientists
  • http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/index.cfm?&CFID=10842369&CFTOKEN=53883781
  • Intelligence, Military and National Security
• CRS Reports from the National Library for the Environment
  • http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/
  • Environmental Law & Policy
• CRS Reports from the U.S. State Department
  • http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/c18185.htm
  • Foreign Policy and Relations
• IP Mall at Franklin Pierce Law School
  • http://www.ipmall.info/hosted_resources/crs_reports.asp
  • Intellectual Property, Cyberlaw, and Electronic Commerce

Legislation and CRS Reports:

H.R. 2545: Congressional Research Accessibility Act

• Introduced May 24, 2007 by Christopher Shays, Jay Inslee, and David E. Price
• Status: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
• Summary: Requires the Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to make available through a centralized electronic database, for purposes of access by the public through the websites maintained by Members and committees of the House of Representatives, the following information:

1. CRS issue briefs;
2. CRS reports that are available to Members of Congress through the CRS website; and
3. CRS authorization of appropriations products and appropriations products.

• Excludes any information that is either confidential or the product of an individual, office, or committee research request.
• Requires the information to be made accessible between 30 and 40 days after the first day it is available to Members of Congress through the CRS website.
• Allows the Director to make such information available without the prior approval of specified congressional committees.

Found at:

GovTrack.us. H.R. 2545--110th Congress (2007): Congressional Research Accessibility Act, GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation) <http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=summary&bill=h110-2545> (accessed Sep 24, 2007)

CRS Director's memo on publications policy:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/crs041807.pdf

More on CRS Reports (Sources for Presentation)

• http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo/whatscrs.html
• http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Congressional_Research_Service
• http://www.llrx.com/features/crsreports.htm | Guide to CRS Reports on the Web, By Stephen Young, Published on September 17, 2006
• Stephen Young, CRS Reports, "llrx dot com" (a law zine), Published July 15, 2002 and updated July 26, 2004. This is a very informative article about the CRS, including a bit of history.
• Brian Faler, "Hard-to-Get Policy Briefings For Congress Are Now Online. Technology Group Opens Access to Research Reports," Washington Post, June 28, 2005.
• Brudnik, Ida. “The Congressional Research Service and the American Legislative Process,” Congressional Research Service, June 14, 2006.
• Elizabeth Williamson, "Information, Please," Washington Post, February 19, 2007.

From the Project on Government Oversight (POGO)

"The Project on Government Oversight supports efforts to make CRS reports available over the internet and more accessible to the public. POGO champions issues dealing with open government and believes a well-informed citizenry encourages the successful functioning of democracy."

Summary from LLRX.com:

To make available on the Internet, for purposes of access and retrieval by the public, certain information available through the Congressional Research Service web site. Sponsor: Rep Shays, Christopher CT-4 (introduced 5/24/2007).

1. IN GENERAL - The Director of the Congressional Research Service shall make available through a centralized, searchable, electronic database, for purposes of access and retrieval by the public as described in section 3, all information described in paragraph (2) that is available through the Congressional Research Service website.
2. INFORMATION TO BE MADE AVAILABLE- The information to be made available under paragraph (1) is as follows:
1. Congressional Research Service Issue Briefs.
2. Congressional Research Service Reports that are available to Members of Congress through the Congressional Research Service website.
3. Congressional Research Service Authorization of Appropriations Products and Appropriations Products.