This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions
By Mary-Michelle Moore, Senior Editor
Ta-Shire Tribbett… Knowledge Solutions Analyst & INALJ DC Assistant
Long time INALJ DC assistant editor, Ta-Shire Tribbett recently started a new position as a Knowledge Solutions Analyst for a prestigious DC Area law firm. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ta-Shire on the Washington, DC page since July of 2014, and she agreed to answer some questions about her new position and general library stuff.
Mary-Michelle: How did you find your new position?
Ta-Shire: I was actually asked to apply by someone who already worked there. I’ve known her for some time, and hadn’t seen her in a number of years. We ran into each other at the mall, caught up in respect to our families and careers, and a couple of months later she reached out to me about the job.
Mary-Michelle: Do you have any job hunting advice of INALJ readers?
Ta-Shire: Be open to different experiences in your job search. If you can’t get the job you want, try to use the job you have to better prepare yourself for your next opportunity. Take on a new task that you can turn around and make look great on a resume–like volunteering to be on a committee, or learn new software. It shows that you’re a go-getter. Join all the associations you can while you’re a student to get that student discount! Realize that you cannot, and should not Do. All. The. Things.
Mary-Michelle: Did you have any major challenges while job hunting?
Ta-Shire: I really didn’t have any. I’ve been extremely fortunate.
Mary-Michelle Moore: What would be your dream job?
Ta-Shire: Any job that allows you to pay your bills and still have money left over to do what you want is a dream job in this day and age, amiright?
I read that Beyoncé has a librarian. Does anyone know if Mariah Carey needs a librarian? Or the Food Network?
On a serious note, I’d love to work for the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Mary-Michelle: What is your favorite thing about libraries?
Ta-Shire: I think going to a library is the cheapest vacation you’ll ever take. I love how everyone who is in there is in there for a purpose, and that purpose runs the gamut. Studying, using the computer, learning a foreign language, applying for a job, learning how to start your own business–all of that happens in the library. Libraries level the playing field.
Mary-Michelle: What is your favorite book?
Ta-Shire: I have lots, so it’s hard to narrow down, but Their Eyes Were Watching God, Native Son, The Giving Tree, The Thorn Birds and the entire Harry Potter series have permanent spaces on my bookshelf. Oh, and I’m a sucker for anthologies.
Mary-Michelle: What websites or blogs should INALJ readers be following?
Ta-Shire:
Mary-Michelle: And lastly, what’s your favorite way to connect with other librarians?
Ta-Shire: Twitter has been a great forum for me to connect with other librarians. My Twitter handle is @l8teebug.
More about Ta-Shire:
Ta-Shire Tribbett has her BA in English, African American Studies Minor, Virginia Commonwealth University and MLS with a Concentration in Academic Libraries, North Carolina Central. At the time of this interview she was the Acquisitions & Marketing Librarian for the US Census Bureau, but by publishing time she’ll be a Knowledge Solutions Analyst for a DC Area law firm.
Ta-Shire says: I was born in New York City, but raised in Richmond, VA. My mom is a voracious reader and I definitely got that gene from her. We used to go to the library every weekend growing up, followed by ice cream at Friendly’s. I’m glad to say I haven’t grown out of that tradition–but now instead of Friendly’s it’s usually gelato or Ben & Jerry’s.