Index to the Reports and Documents of the 54th Congress, 1st Session--72d Congress, 2d Session, Dec. 2, 1895-March 4, 1933: With Numerical Lists and Schedule of Volumes. Being No. [1]-43 of the "Consolidated Index" Provided for by the Act of January 12, 1895

This volume functions as a comprehensive archival reference tool, born from the United States Printing Act of 1895. This legislation mandated the systematic organization and indexing of the massive output of federal documents, reports, and legislative papers produced by Congress. By establishing the Office of the Superintendent of Documents, the federal government sought to transform a disorganized backlog of printed materials into a retrievable bibliographic system for historians, researchers, and government officials.

The compilation serves as the master record for 43 sessions of Congress, spanning the years 1895 to 1933. Designed as a functional administrative aid rather than a consumer publication, its layout relies on standardized numerical lists and schedules of volumes to track the complex serial sets produced during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. It was received by the archival and library science communities as a vital finding aid, effectively bridging the gap between bureaucratic record-keeping and public accessibility.