An Interview with KC Carter, Collection Services Intern

Today’s interview is with KC Carter, a summer intern working in the Collection Services Division of the Law Library of Congress.

Describe your background.

I was an army brat growing up, so we did a good bit of moving. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii but spent the majority of my school years living in Texas and Georgia. I absolutely hated moving at the time, but now I’m really glad that I’ve had the opportunity to travel and make friends in different places.

What is your academic/professional history? 

I just graduated with a BA in English and a BS in biology from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (yes, it is an interesting combination).  TAMUCC is the only university in the United States that is on its own island, so I enjoyed studying there. I also received my TESOL certification to teach English as a second language. I was very involved in the university’s Honors Program and worked as a grader for a number of literature courses.

How would you describe your job to other people? 

Right now I am working in the Global Legal Gazette Room, sorting through lots of legal gazettes from other countries. It involves a lot of lugging around boxes, poking around in the stacks, and collating multitudes of titles. Having the opportunity to read through some of the gazettes and learn about the laws and organizations of other countries has been very interesting.

Why did you want to work at the Law Library of Congress?

I am very happy to be here – I love books and doughnuts, both of which the Library has in excess. I’m interested in librarianship, so working in one of the largest libraries in the world seemed like a good place to start. Though I have very little legal knowledge, I’m appreciating what I have learned.

What is the most interesting fact you have learned about the Library of Congress?

I had no idea how many events went on at the Library – I have gone to talks about Mark Twain, heroic fiction, and Saturn’s moons and learned interesting facts at each of them.

What’s something most of your co-workers do not know about you? 

I know how to ride a unicycle. It has been awhile, but I’m pretty sure that the “you never forget how to ride a bike” adage applies to its single-wheeled counterpart too.