Series 2708: Legislative Reference Bureau files and photographs. 1985-2007, n.d.
Legislature (RG 47).

Series 2708: Legislative Reference Bureau files and photographs. 1985-2007, n.d.
Legislature (RG 47).

      Reference files from the Legislative Reference Bureau, whose purpose is to act as the general reference library for members of the legislature. The Bureau maintains information and reports on issues before the legislature and model bills and other aids for legislators drawing up bills for introduction into the House or Senate. The Bureau also acts as the legislature’s public information office, putting out regular newsletters describing the activities of legislators, staffers and their families and photographing legislative sessions, swearing-ins, committee meetings, and other events.

      The files are organized in four groups: general event contact sheets, general photographs, individuals’ files, and speeches.

      General event contact sheets contain images of legislative sessions in progress week by week and events, including special speakers at the Capitol and legislators’ visits to areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Digital images from photograph discs are available from 2001-2007, and paper images are available from 2004-2007. Contact sheets are filed in chronological order; paper sheets marked with a control number (e.g., 2004.02, 2005.10) are duplicated digitally. Gaps in control numbers indicate discs lacking printed contact sheets.

      General photographs consist of photographs of legislative and special events, and are arranged in roughly chronological order. Researchers should note that individuals appearing in the majority of the photographs are not identified.

      Individuals’ files consist of photographs, newsletters, newspaper clippings, campaign literature, and press releases on individual legislators, and are arranged alphabetically.

      Speeches consist of drafts and final versions of speeches delivered by Mississippi legislators in various contexts (graduations, school honor days, openings, and so on), speeches delivered to the legislature, and presentation materials used to train new legislators in the legislative process in Mississippi. These files also include a copy of US Senator Trent Lott’s response to President Bill Clinton’s 1998 State of the Union address. Speeches are arranged roughly chronologically by year.