Visit to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C

Students enrolled in the Extended Research and Writing course, along with their teacher (Petro Nungovitch), KAA’s Librarian (Amal Charara), and KAA’s IB Coordinator & Director of Education (Jalaika Hasan), visited the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Students obtained their reader identification cards and attended a lecture by Mrs. Nanette Gibbs on developing research strategies. Mrs. Gibbs, a senior Reference Specialist Librarian, was able to illustrate how she develops her own research topics and how her publications are subject to editorial review.  Further, she demonstrated how the LibGuides and Research Guides available through the library’s website can help students locate the highest quality sources on their topics. She is a former IB Music History teacher and has mentored students on the IB Extended Essay.  

KAA has been visiting the Library of Congress and collaborating with Mrs. Gibbs for over 5 years, including during the pandemic, when we were able to substitute Zoom sessions for the in-person experience.  Now that the library is open to the public, students will be able to access on-site-only databases for journal articles and request books from the library’s extensive collections using their reader cards. The group will return in January for additional training and to conduct extended research for their essays.

In addition to obtaining their reader identification cards and meeting Mrs. Gibbs, students were able to view the Main Reading Room and see the tunnels that connect all the library’s buildings. The beauty and grandeur of the library were powerful reminders about the value of knowledge and the ennobling effects of education. 

For more information about the Library of Congress, please visit www.loc.gov