The British Sessional Papers are considered one of the richest and most important collection of printed government records. Beyond constitutional and administrative matters, this collection is an unmatched resource in historical, social, and scientific matters, both for Great Britain as well as for those countries relating to the British Empire.

Prior to 1980:

The Microprint portion of the set follows the arrangement of the original bound volumes, arranged chronologically. (Microprint J301 .K613).

1980 to the present:

The microfiche are arranged chronologically for 'bills'; 'command papers'; 'papers'; and 'index' in number order as issued and housed at the end of classified microfiche section (cabinets #0178, #0179, and #0239).

The Sessional Papers, as printed, contain three basic series --

1. Public Bills
2. Papers, reports, accounts...
3. Command Papers

Current materials/electronic indexes:

• A CD-ROM index for the Sessional Papers, 1990/91 Session to within a year or so, is available for use at Alden 1st Floor Microforms (ALICE check-in record). You may need to ask about the CD-ROM, note the call number, J301.R42x.
• For current information you may wish to consult the United Kingdom Parliament's World Wide Web Service
• Full text versions of selected materials can be found at House of Commons publications and the House of Lords publications websites.
• Another potential source of information is the British Public Record Office Catalogues Page which includes access to the online catalog, PROCAT, which describes holdings of over 9 million files.
• Chadwyck-Healy publishers reportedly has produced a CD-ROM parliamentary papers index 1801-1999, this may be on order, please inquire.

Printed Indexes: For the most part, in regards to searching for materials in original and printed indexes, the following categories are used:

1. Public Bills.
2. Reports from Committees (Commons.)
3. Reports from Commissioners, annual reports, ad hoc committees, inspectors, etc.
4. Accounts and Papers (financial, statistical, treaties, etc.)

Items are numbered as issued and are arranged under broad categories by volume number. Here is a list of potential index sources:

• Year by year: the last volume of a session is usually the Sessional Index. which will list Command Papers, Bills, and Papers by number and also includes a detailed alphabetical index.
• A collection of General Indexes, subjects and persons, at the end of Microprint portion of the microform set. These are for the most part 7 to 10-year cumulations.
• Others can be located in Alden 2nd floor Reference in the "CD..." and "Z2009" call number ranges.
• A useful pair of guides for browsing the 1801- 1899 time frame are the Checklist of British Parliamentary papers... (Alden 1st Fl Microforms Z2019.I73) (chronological and alphabetical lists by short title) and the Catalogue of British Parliamentary Papers... (Alden 1st Fl Microforms Z2019.I72)(descriptions on volume/series contents).
• An index coverning the 1900-1949 time frame is the General Index to the Bills, Reports and Papers ... Alden 4th Fl Reference Z2009 .G723.
• The Subject Catalogue of the House of Commons Parliamentary... 1801- 1900 ... Alden 4th Fl Reference Z2019 .C63 1988x is the most comprehensive for that time period, classifies all papers into 19 categories.
• Many other specialized indexes are available in printed form, as well as guides to what the Parliamentary Papers are and how to use them. One comprehensive index to recent HMSO materials is the HMSO Annual Catalogue (Alden 7th Floor Z2009 .G822; 1985-1995)

More "Command Papers" -- The "Papers presented by Command ..." are basically published background materials on matters likely to be debated, Commonwealth and foreign affairs reports, treaties, and topical and annual reports of government departments. They are cumbered and referenced as "Cmd #nnnnn"... The indexes cited above contain references to command papers, and in addition the House of Commons Journal may contain some pre-1833 material of this nature in full-text.