amy@researchrangers.com

Education

Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Conn. M.L.S. 2006.

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich. B.S. Student-planned curriculum. 1995.

Ferris State College, Big Rapids, Mich. A.A.S. General printing. 1986.

Experience

Nov. 2008–present. Chief Executive Officer. Research Rangers LLC, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Entrepreneur in an independent knowledge-based business which locates, organizes, and provides reliable data to individuals, small businesses, and corporations. Recent projects have included data compilation, proofreading and site modification for a project measuring the cohesion of text passages in state standardized tests; creation of an online catalog for the Grand Rapids Friends Meeting library; development of a website for an internationally recognized artist; advising on the cataloging and valuation of rare and specialized books for a nationally known museum; locating information relevant to copyright and personal legal rights for a staff member in an academic setting.

Aug. 2006–Aug. 2008. Catalog Librarian. Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan. University Libraries. Served as principal cataloger, establishing goals, priorities, policies, and standards. Oversaw original and copy cataloging of all formats, including serials, into the integrated library system (Endeavor/Ex Libris: Voyager; then, beginning June 2008: Innovative Interfaces: Millennium). Provided cataloging leadership, supervision and training to staff on a continuing basis. Familiar with bibliographic formats for all materials, including electronic, in accordance with rules and policies established in or by the AACR-2, MARC-21 and OCLC input standards, LCSH, and LC Classification. Provided post-cataloging oversight to maintain catalog consistency; maintained quality control through database maintenance. Provided user-centered reference services on a regular basis. Participated in faculty meetings and inter-collegial fora.

Sept. 2004–June 2006. Weekend circulation supervisor and media services assistant. Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Upjohn Library Commons. Trained and supervised student employees; provided reference as necessary; scheduled media equipment and materials using the booking module of the integrated library system Millennium from Innovative Interfaces, Inc.

Feb. 2000–May 2004. Senior cooperative- and special-format cataloger. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. University Libraries. Performed original and copy cataloging for non-print materials: video recordings, music compact discs, and slides. Used and applied standards and rules of AACR-2 and MARC-21. Routinely used OCLC Passport and Connexion; Endeavor Voyager ILS, Library of Congress Cataloger’s Desktop and Classification Web database utility programs. Elected to the Library Staff Advisory Board in 2002 (treasurer) and 2003 (chair). Awarded a Staff Development Grant by the Friends of the University Libraries, February 2004.

May 1992–Dec. 1999. Manager. Deadly Passions Bookshop, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Responsible for ordering new titles and backlist from publishers’ sales representatives for a mystery, romance, and science fiction specialty store that offered new and used books; coordinated author signings and events; evaluated and priced used books for the resale market. Supervised day-to-day operations of the business for absentee owners, 1995-1999.

Jan. 1990–Oct. 2006. Partner. Isher Artifacts, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bid and scheduled prototype and custom design and machining jobs; managed production facility of science-fiction-related toys and props. Managed sales and conference schedule, website, accounts receivable and accounts payable. Designed and created unique works of fiber art with hand-painted silk and hand-felted wool.

Oct. 1979–May 1984. Materiel Facilities Specialist (685x1). United States Air Force. Provided inspection, inventory, receiving, storage and issue support to the 40th Tactical Group at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and to the 366th Maintenance Group at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. Honorably discharged.

Associations

American Library Association, 2002–

Michigan Library Association, 2006–

• Access, Collections and Technical Services Round Table, 2007–2008.
• Transitional Leadership Forum, 2008.

Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs—West Michigan, 2009–2010.

Continuing education

Reference and User Services Association, Chicago, Ill. RUSA Online Professional Development: Reference Interview. 2009.

Reference and User Services Association, Chicago, Ill. RUSA Online Professional Development: Business Reference 101. 2009.

Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women, Grand Rapids, Mich. MYOB, Class 35. 2008.

Michigan Library Association, Lansing, Mich. Resource Sharing, Now and in the Future. 2008.

Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Chicago, Ill. Basic Map Cataloging. 2007.

Michigan Library Association, Lansing, Mich. Academic Libraries Day: Institutional Repositories. 2007.

University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario. Symposium: Future of the Integrated Library System. 2006.

Volunteer work

Grand Rapids Art Museum, McBride Library. Grand Rapids, Mich. Library volunteer and catalog advisor, 2009–

Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women, Grand Rapids, Mich. Speaker, Lunch with Punch, April, 2009.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Wege Library. Grand Rapids, Mich. Library volunteer, 2007.

• Index
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Additional information about Amy

Multicultural experiences

Amy Ranger is a native of west Michigan, but has ventured forth into other parts of the world to live in: Texas, Idaho, Illinois, and Italy. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe. California, Vermont, and northern Italy remain her favorite places to visit, while Michigan will always be home. Over the years Ms. Ranger's family has expanded to include in-laws from the Passamaquoddy Tribe, Italy, Mexico, the Navajo Tribe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and India, as well as gay and lesbian individuals. Holidays are never dull! Her extended sojourn in Italy enabled Ms. Ranger to become proficient in the Italian language, thus endearing her to the Italian in-laws. Even today (nearly 30 years later) she is still conversant in Italian.

Life-long learning

Ms. Ranger learned to read as a small tot and has been ever since an enthusiastic reader and a strong believer in the principle of life-long learning. She has been passionately involved with books and the printed word for over four decades – as a reader, printer, typographer, proof-reader, editor, book-seller, book-collector, and librarian – and has shared her insight and knowledge without hesitation. Please do not think that Ms. Ranger is an old fuddy-duddy who only believes that viable information is found in print. She has been on the bleeding edge of many high-tech innovations over the past two decades, and is as adept at reading online (whether it is a 20 inch or 3 inch screen), as she is with a book in hand.

Computer skills

Ms. Ranger’s military service not only allowed her to live and travel in Italy, but also to develop computer skills at a time when mainframe computers were the standard. In those days she could actually »read« the keypunch cards processed by the IBM mainframe computer on the base, as well as use microforms to locate data related to parts and supplies for military aircraft and vehicles. This wide-ranging background taught Ms. Ranger to focus on in-depth content analysis and hone her expertise in taxonomy building, indexing, and cataloging. In other words, she has the training, skills, and discipline to be able to do the job for you. Ms. Ranger is comfortable with Mac OS and Windows; Microsoft Office; FileMaker Pro; HTML, CSS, RapidWeaver, and more utilities, browsers, and apps than you might imagine.

Curiosity & critical thinking

Ms. Ranger’s insatiable curiosity for How, Why, When, Where, What and Who; her critical thinking skills, and management abilities have been greatly appreciated by the organizations and businesses, large and small, that she has touched. She has volunteered her time and talents to the committees of professional organizations and various community endeavors throughout the years not because it was easy – or even in some cases a requirement of the job – but because she believed it was the right thing to do.

Personal

Ms. Ranger is comfortable working with people and technology, alone or as part of a team.

Ms. Ranger has been blessed with the ability to learn new tasks and skills quickly, and with a great sense of humor for those days when the learning curve is steeper than expected.

Amy Ranger is a lesbian who married her partner, Kim Ranger, under the care of the Grand Rapids Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (the Quakers) on July 15, 2007. The couple were also married in a civil ceremony June 30, 2008 in Orange County, California, in accordance with the laws of California at that time. An active member of the Grand Rapids Friends Meeting, Amy Ranger currently serves a leadership role in the Meeting as Convener of Ministry and Nurture.

More

Please contact me using this Contact form. I will respond as soon as I am able. Thank you.

Busy, busy, busy!
I have a Twitter account (user name = rangera)
I am on Facebook (Amy Ranger)
I have an Etsy store for my art under the name AmyRangerFiberArts.
I have registered as an artist for the 2010 Artprize!
I am exploring Second Life as Emi Querrien. I hang out in
the Old Town neighborhood of Lansing, Michigan and occasionally dash over to Belfast to catch a concert by my friend Casias Falta. If you see me on SL, say hi!

And — thank you for taking the time to visit my site!