Maps & Government Information
Presidential Documents
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Papers Public Papers of the President Proclamations Executive Orders
Henry Madden Library — California State University, Fresno
Web version of this guide: www.csufresno.edu/library/subjectresources/governmentdocuments/presidential.html
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
The Weekly Compilation is issued every Monday and contains statements, messages, and other
Presidential material released by the White House during the preceding week. It includes such
material as proclamations, executive orders, speeches, press conferences, communications to
Congress and Federal agencies, statements regarding bill signings and vetoes, appointments,
nominations, reorganization plans, resignations, and retirements. It also lists acts approved by the
President, nominations submitted to the Senate, and other White House announcements and press
releases. The contents of the Weekly Compilation are compiled annually into the Public Papers of the
Presidents.
www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html
1993-
via GPO Access (search by keyword or browse)
Public Papers of the Presidents
The Public Papers is an edited annual cumulation of the Weekly Compilation. It has been published
from the Hoover administration (1929) on, except for Franklin Roosevelt’s administration. Only during
the Carter and Reagan administrations is the text of proclamations and executive orders included, but
the volumes for the others have tables which give the Federal Register page number where the text
can be found.
Location: Storage J 80 .A283 1929- (request from storage via the library catalog)
Indexes: 1. Each annual volume has an index
2. Cumulated Indexes to the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. [1945-1993]
Storage J 80 .A283 1945-1993 (request from storage via the library catalog)
Internet: 1993- via GPO Access www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/index.html
1929-2000 via U. Michigan Digital Library (official retrospective digitization project)
www.hti.umich.edu/p/ppotpus/
1929- via the American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara. www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/
Other Presidential Documents Resources
A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents [1789-1916].
Location: Storage J 81 B96g volumes 1-20 (request from storage via the library catalog)
Search the library catalog www.csufresno.edu/library/alis.html:
Browse Subject search for: presidents united states correspondence
Keyword
search for: presidents papers
or for: <name> papers for example: abraham lincoln papers
Presidential Documents. A compilation of links from the University of Michigan Documents Center.
Internet: www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/fedprs.html#speech
Proclamations and Executive Orders
Proclamations and executive orders are two forms of executive fiat and are issued in separate, numbered
series. While they both have the same legal effect, executive orders “usually involve an exercise of
presidential authority related to government business, while proclamations are announcements of policy
or of matters requiring public notice.” [Source: Legal Research in a Nutshell. 1992]
Proclamations and executive orders have been published in a variety of places since 1789:
1789 – 1941;
2000-present
United States Statutes at Large. Volumes 1-90. Microfiche.
Location: Reference KF 47.U5
Contains proclamations only.
1845 – 1936
Presidential Executive Orders Numbers 1-7403 (1845-June 1936). Microfilm.
Location: Gov Info micro KF 70 .A48
Index:
Presidential Executive Orders: Numbered Series (1862-1938)
Gov Info Reference KF 70 .A5 1981 v. 1: List ; v.2: Index
This is not an index specifically to the microfilm, and the numbering and date ranges
covered do not correspond. Use it to identify the date of an executive order.
1929 – 1933
Herbert Hoover: Proclamations and Executive Orders, March 4 1929-March 4 1933.
Location: storage J 82 D5 1974 (request from storage via the library catalog)
1936 – present
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Title 3: The President.
Use the Weekly Compilation or the Federal Register to update the CFR
Location: Reference KF 70 A5
Internet: www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html (1997- )
1936 – present
Federal Register.
Location: Current 2 years in paper: Reference KF 70 A2 F292
Previous years on microfilm and microfiche: Gov Info micro
Index:
The Public Papers of the President gives Federal Register page numbers.
Internet: www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html (1994- )
1937 – present
Executive Orders Disposition Tables.
Intermet: www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/disposition.html
Reference information starting with EO 7532, January 8, 1937; links to full text
starting with EO 12834, January 20, 1993.
1941 – 2003
US Code Congressional and Administrative News.
Location: Reference KF 48
1945 – present
Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders [1945-1989].
Location: Reference KF 70 .A473 1945-89
Internet: www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/
Contains selected Proclamations and Executive Orders
1977 – Jan 1989
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Carter & Reagan only)
Location: See side 1 of this guide for locations and description
1993 – present
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Papers
Location: See side 1 of this guide for locations and description
C. Doyle 15 March 2007