Newark Academy Student Scholars Thrive with Sprague Library Research

From May 31st to June 5th, 2023, Sprague Library hosted rising seniors from Newark Academy participating in the The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) as part of its annual community engagement programs. The IB is a rigorous and highly respected pre-university program offered by select schools throughout the world.

These students visited the library for three day-long sessions to work on the Extended Essay portion of the IB program. The students worked independently researching, writing, and presenting a subject of their choice, culminating in a research paper that was then presented to peers, parents and Newark Academy academic and administrative leaders.

David Beckman, Advanced Research Seminar Coordinator at Newark Academy had this to say about the students’ experience:

“In our Advanced Research Seminar, nearly 70 students complete 4,000-word research papers, which for many is a required element of the International Baccalaureate diploma. The opportunity to conduct research at a university library—to use the extensive databases, to confer with professional reference librarians, to explore deep in the stacks—is an invaluable part of that process. Every year in their course feedback, the students almost unanimously identify the Montclair library experience as the most exciting, memorable and beneficial part of the course. They love getting a taste of university-level research, and they are immensely grateful for the experience. We so appreciate that the Sprague Library team allows us to give our students this opportunity.”

During their visit, these scholars utilized the Library’s physical and digital resources throughout their stay, and were given the opportunity to work directly with Sprague research librarians on answering their research questions. Throughout the day, students were seen collaborating with one another, searching the Library’s stacks and online databases, and speaking with various librarians as they worked their way towards their goals.

Though normally unavailable to these students, these credible academic materials were made accessible for this short, yet valuable, time period. As such, the library accomplished supporting these students in enhancing their papers and in becoming more effective authors and researchers.

Photos by Kevin Handeli.