A. Information is everywhere. Data deluges us. We're so flooded with information that there are even guides to dealing with the overflow (see, for example, the helpful Information Anxiety 2 by the original "information architect," Richard Saul Wurman, Que, 2001). Not only are we afloat, but the current is loaded with alligators–in the form of sharp-toothed urban legends, snarly misinformation and scaly statistical misstatements, waiting to bite us. Couldn't we all use someone to help paddle our canoe safely where we're going?

That's what a fact wrangler is, and does.

As your fact wrangler, I put my experience as a librarian and journalist to work finding exactly the information your organization needs, efficiently and accurately. And I filter out what you don't need, freeing up your time so you can concentrate on the big picture. Up to your elbows in alligators? I've got an answer for that.

Q. Why should we hire a professional researcher when we can have our intern get the information we need?

A. With the greatest respect for interns everywhere, would you ask your intern to repair your car? Or write your annual report to your board? Sometimes getting the best results in the most timely manner requires specialized skill and experience.

I've taught information-gathering to college students, and I've coached professional journalists and PR people. In other words, I've watched a lot of people, at a lot of skill levels, search for information. And I can tell you that in this technology-savvy age, nine out of 10 know to log onto the Web and use Google or another search engine for their question ... and have no idea where else to look.

Now Google is magic–I use it daily. But I also know that by various estimates, even the magical Google covers only one-fifth to one-half of the information that's out there on the Internet. Can you be sure you're searching the right fraction? Which is to say the fraction that contains your answer. Does your answer appear online at all? Or is it in the pages of a book, a government pamphlet, a historical document, or only in the head of an expert in your field?

Time spent fruitlessly chasing links around the Web can never be regained. Time spent backtracking when Web travels have brought home outdated, incorrect or irrelevant information is gone for good. Professional research is an investment that pays off in time you can spend with your clients or customers, early warning of trends in your field, and credibility with funders and the public.

I'm a researcher both by training and by temperament. I know that everyone doesn't love the hunt as well as I do. Experience has shown me again and again that I can save you time and frustration by reaching for the right information quickly, efficiently and accurately. I'm adept not only at navigating through the wilds of the Web–including the so-called "invisible Web," made up of sources that search engines like Google can't even see–I also have experience getting to the heart of the matter using databases, print materials, interviews and a few tricks of the trade so secret I can't even tell you about them.

I joke, but it's serious business. It's true that knowledge is power. Nonprofit groups and small businesses everywhere face daunting challenges today. I can help you turn raw data into useful information, and information into productive knowledge that can power your organization wherever the road takes it.

Q. What can you do for us?

Q. What are your qualifications?

A. I have a master's degree in library science (summa cum laude, Emporia State University, 2000) and a bachelor's in journalism (University of Maryland, 1985). As a longtime journalist with training from The Associated Press and New York Times, I have a deep understanding of the nooks and crannies where information is stored. As a former corporate librarian, I have experience in the world of business. And as a teacher and community volunteer interested in information literacy and citizen empowerment, I have experience in the world of people. If you'd like to know more, feel free to take a look at my résumé.

Q. How can we reach you?

© Copyright 2007 Anna Skinner. All rights reserved.