Tracy Legaspi

How has your career progressed since you graduated from UK? 

I was working as an attorney when I decided I could no longer put off my dream of working in the library field. Since graduating with my MLS, my career has taken many unexpected turns. I first worked as an Archivist Trainee at the National Archives, then as a Federal Documentation Specialist for the National Institutes of Health; and also had a part time job working remotely as a Researcher for the National Gun Violence Archive. Finally, I got my dream job to work as a Law Librarian and Team Lead at the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Library where my duties included research for briefs going to the Supreme Court. I also served as President of the Federal Law Librarians Section of the Law Librarians Society of Washington, DC(LLSDC). It was at DOJ where I found amazing mentors that challenged me to explore how I could take my skills outside the library and encouraged me to think outside the box regarding alternative careers. 

Legaspi with Roberta Shaffer, the former Law Librarian of Congress.

In your current employment, what are your job duties and responsibilities?

I currently work for the Department of Defense. I use a lot of transferrable skills from my library, research, and law background in staff operations, knowledge management, program management, and training.

Why did you choose this profession?

There is a misconception that working in libraries provides a life of quiet solitude. It is quite the opposite. The library field is dynamic and ever evolving. I never thought I could use my library degree as a jumping off point to a different career, but still have the skills necessary to thrive and excel. I chose my new profession because I wanted to be challenged and I wanted to give back.  Being a federal employee allows you to have a greater impact in the way government organizations store, use, and retrieve knowledge.

Legaspi graduated from UK's Master of Library and Information Science (MSLS) program in 2014.

What more do you wish to accomplish in your professional career?

I would like to see how I can use my library and legal background to improve collaboration and knowledge management between government organizations. I have a great interest in working towards highlighting the importance of libraries in government agencies and using databases to improve government efficiency and effectiveness. Besides libraries and law, I plan to continue my education to focus on language acquisition. I speak 5 languages and would love to work at an embassy to allow me more opportunities to use my foreign language skills.