Thomas, a graphical World Wide Web* (WWW) site named to honor the nation's third president, is the easier of the two methods for entering the Library of Congress legislative archive, but it currently is not as complete as its more irksome sibling, LOCIS (Library of Congress Information System).
In time, Thomas will deliver on a promise to offer the public direct access to every bill, rule and regulation - past and present - that Congress has passed or intends to pass, providing a level of participatory democracy championed by Jefferson his entire political life. Thomas requires that you have a WWW browser (software such as Mosaic, Netscape, Netcruiser or Superhighway Access) to run on a SLIP* or PPP* account from an Internet provider.
LOCIS, on the other hand, can be reached by telnet, requiring a simpler and less expensive dial-up Internet account and standard communications software like Procomm Plus, Crosstalk or WinComm. Of the top national commercial online services - America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, Delphi and GEnie - Delphi (at the time of writing in January) is the only one that offers access to Thomas or LOCIS.
REACHING THOMAS
To reach Thomas, type http://thomas.loc.gov at the URL* (Uniform Resource Locator) prompt of the WWW browser and press the Enter or Return key, or use the mouse to click the appropriate button. Jefferson's image will materialize quickly or slowly (depending on the amount of Internet traffic) to announce your arrival. After that, it's only a matter of clicking buttons and filling in the blanks.
You can search by keyword or number, and then print or download the unedited full text of legislation introduced by the 103rd and 104th Congresses. You can search the full text of the Congressional Record, or get a civics primer called How Our Laws Are Made or the resolution adopting the Rules of Procedure for the 104th Congress. You also can jump to the gopher* servers maintained by the House of Representatives, Library of Congress MARVEL* and C-Span. Congress considerately provides explanations about how to use every search feature Thomas possesses.
LOCIS
LOCIS, despite its claim of catering to the public, forces you to work without ready instructions. It doesn't allow you to download or print legislation, and it's only available Monday-Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from xx p.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. LOCIS is closed on national holidays. (Thomas is open for business all day, everyday.)
LOCIS is jammed with information. It contains more than 27 million records in a variety of databases. While there may be moments when you are using LOCIS that you wish there was something you could strangle besides your own computer, once you get accustomed to its odd ways, LOCIS dishes up treasure like a genie fresh out of the bottle. And it invites you in without the normal telnet* request for user identification and password. All you have to do is knock, and the door opens.
To reach LOCIS, at the Internet prompt, type: telnet locis.loc.gov or telnet://locis.loc.gov at a URL prompt, and then press Enter.
A screen will materialize offering choices for the Library of Congress Catalog, Federal Legislation, Copyright Information, Braille and Audio, Organizations, Foreign Law, Searching Hours and Basics, Documentation and Classes, Library of Congress General Information, Library of Congress Fast Facts and Announcements. Feel free to explore any of the categories by typing the appropriate number and pressing Enter. Number 3 (Copyright Information), for instance, offers files dating back to 1978. But for this session, press the number 2 key (Federal Legislation) and press Enter.
This screen will appear: FEDERAL LEGISLATION
These files track and describe legislation (bills and resolutions) introduced in the U.S. Congress from 1973 (93rd Congress) to the current Congress (104th). Each file covers a separate Congress.
Choice File
1. Congress, 1981-82 (97th) CG97
2. Congress, 1983-84 (98th) CG98
3. Congress, 1985-86 (99th) CG99
4. Congress, 1987-88 (100th) C100
5. Congress, 1989-90 (101st) C101
6. Congress, 1991-92 (102nd) C102
7. Current Congress, 1993-(103rd) C103
8. Search all Congresses from 1981--> current
9. Search all Congresses on LOCIS 1973--> current
Earlier Congresses: press ENTER
12. Return to LOCIS MENU screen.
Choice:
Type the corresponding number for the Congress of your choice and press Enter. A screen will appear offering legislative searches by the name of the author, the bill number or by subject. For example, if you want legislation sponsored by new Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, you would type: retrieve rep gingrich. Or if you wanted legislation from Sen. Ted Kennedy, you would type: retrieve sen kennedy. For specific bills, type: retrieve h.r. 1 or sen 1 (or any bill number). For subjects, choose a keyword, like "day care" or "patents," then type: retrieve day care or retrieve patents. A list of all the appropriate legislation will appear.
A tip: read the instructions on each screen before venturing on, or else face the LOCIS-induced willies.
GETTING THERE FROM DELPHI
For Delphi subscribers, type Internet at the Main Menu prompt and press Enter to reach Thomas. Press Enter again at the Internet SIG Menu* prompt. Type gopher at the Internet SIG>Enter Your Selection prompt and press Enter. Type 19 (World Wide Web) at the Enter Item Number prompt and press Enter. Type 8 (Thomas Library of Congress WWW) and press Enter, or type 1 (Type any URL) and press Enter, and then type http://thomas.loc.gov at the URL prompt and press Enter.
You can access LOCIS either by telnet or gopher. For telnet, type Internet at the Main Menu prompt and press Enter. Press Enter again at the Internet SIG Menu prompt. Type telnet at the Internet SIG>Enter Your Selection prompt and press Enter. Type locis.loc.gov at the Enter Internet Address prompt and press Enter. Type 2 (Federal Legislation) and press Enter.
For gopher, follow the same directions, except at the Internet SIG>Enter Your Selection: prompt, type gopher and press Enter. Type 10 (Government and Politics) at the Enter Item Number prompt and press Enter. Find LOCIS: Library of Congress (it's listed alphabetically, but moves around, hovering in the 30s), and press Enter. Type 2 (Federal Legislation) and press Enter.
gopher: A common method of access to Internet information. Used for browsing and downloading files.
LOCIS: Library of Congress Information System. Both LOCIS and LC MARVEL offer a wealth of data, though in amount and variety of information, MARVEL clearly overwhelms LOCIS.
MARVEL: LC MARVEL (Library of Congress Machine-Assisted Realization of the Virtual Electronic Library).
Path refers to the location of the document at that site, a directory or subdirectory and filename.
PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol, a system that lets your PC, modem and phone line function as a direct connection to the Internet, by allowing TCP/IP data transmission.
Server refers to the site where the document may be found. Usually the Internet address. nformation), for instance, offers files dating back to 1978. But for this session, press the number 2 key (Federal Legislation) and press Enter.
This screen will appear: FEDERAL LEGISLATION
These files track and describe legislation (bills and resolutions) introduced in the U.S. Congress from 1973 (93rd Congress) to the current Congress (104th). Each file covers a separate Congress.
Choice File
1. Congress, 1981-82 (97th) CG97
2. Congress, 1983-84 (98th) CG98
3. Congress, 1985-86 (99th) CG99
4. Congress, 1987-88 (100th) C100
5. Congress, 1989-90 (101st) C101
6. Congress, 1991-92 (102nd) C102
7. Current Congress, 1993-(103rd) C103
8. Search all Congresses from 1981--> current
9. Search all Congresses on LOCIS 1973--> current
Earlier Congresses: press ENTER
12. Return to LOCIS MENU screen.
Choice:
Type the corresponding number for the Congress of your choice and press Enter. A screen will appear offering legislative searches by the name of the author, the bill number or by subject. For example, if you want legislation sponsored by new Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, you would type: retrieve rep gingrich. Or if you wanted legislation from Sen. Ted Kennedy, you would type: retrieve sen kennedy. For specific bills, type: retrieve h.r. 1 or sen 1 (or any bill number). For subjects, choose a keyword, like "day care" or "patents," then type: retrieve day care or retrieve patents. A list of all the appropriate legislation will appear.
A tip: read the instructions on each screen before venturing on, or else face the LOCIS-induced willies.
GETTING THERE FROM DELPHI
For Delphi subscribers, type Internet at the Main Menu prompt and press Enter to reach Thomas. Press Enter again at the Internet SIG Menu* prompt. Type gopher at the Internet SIG>Enter Your Selection prompt and press Enter. Type 19 (World Wide Web) at the Enter Item Number prompt and press Enter. Type 8 (Thomas Library of Congress WWW) and press Enter, or type 1 (Type any URL) and press Enter, and then type http://thomas.loc.gov at the URL prompt and press Enter.
You can access LOCIS either by telnet or gopher. For telnet, type Internet at the Main Menu prompt and press Enter. Press Enter again at the Internet SIG Menu prompt. Type telnet at the Internet SIG>Enter Your Selection prompt and press Enter. Type locis.loc.gov at the Enter Internet Address prompt and press Enter. Type 2 (Federal Legislation) and press Enter.
For gopher, follow the same directions, except at the Internet SIG>Enter Your Selection: prompt, type gopher and press Enter. Type 10 (Government and Politics) at the Enter Item Number prompt and press Enter. Find LOCIS: Library of Congress (it's listed alphabetically, but moves around, hovering in the 30s), and press Enter. Type 2 (Federal Legislation) and press Enter.
gopher: A common method of access to Internet information. Used for browsing and downloading files.
LOCIS: Library of Congress Information System. Both LOCIS and LC MARVEL offer a wealth of data, though in amount and variety of information, MARVEL clearly overwhelms LOCIS.
MARVEL: LC MARVEL (Library of Congress Machine-Assisted Realization of the Virtual Electronic Library).
Path refers to the location of the document at that site, a directory or subdirectory and filename.
PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol, a system that lets your PC, modem and phone line function as a direct connection to the Internet, by allowing TCP/IP data transmission.
Server refers to the site where the document may be found. Usually the Internet address.
SIG Menu: ?
SLIP: Serial Line Internet Protocol, a system that lets your PC, modem and phone line function as a direct connection to the Internet, by allowing TCP/IP data transmission.
Telnet: Used to connect to another machine on the Internet
URL: Uniform Resource Locator. A system to locate a WWW document or resource. It consists of the following parts: protocol://server//path. Protocol refers to the kind of resource this item is, and the way it is accessed. Examples include "file" "gopher" "WAIS" and "news."
World Wide Web (WWW): A "web" of Internet keywords and topics that can be accessed by a "browser" such as Lynx or Mosaic. Example: file://ftp.apple.com/pub/mac/utils.htq
Ref: Internet How-To by Harry Henderson, The Waite Group; MOSAIC Quick Tour For Mac by Gareth Branwyn, Ventana Press; Connecting to the Internet by Susan Estrada, O'Reilly & Associates.
[March Table of Contents]
