Sponsored by BCR (Bibliographical Center for Research) and RUSA (Reference and User Services Association), an ALA Division

Rumors of the "death of reference" have been greatly exaggerated!

Reference and information services now encompass not just traditional forms such as in-person point-of-service, telephone, and e-mail, but also Instant Messaging, Text Messaging (SMS), blogs, wikis, library pages on MySpace and Facebook, and virtual reference desks in Second Life.

A Reference Renaissance: Current and Future Trends conference will explore all aspects of reference service in a broad range of contexts, including libraries and information centers, in academic, public, school, corporate, and other special library environments. This two-day conference will incorporate the multitude of established, emerging, and merging types of reference service including both traditional and virtual reference. It presents an opportunity for all reference practitioners and scholars to explore the rapid growth and changing nature of reference, as an escalating array of information technologies blend with traditional reference service to create vibrant hybrids.

Our theme of a "Reference Renaissance" was taken from an editorial by Diane Zabel, in a recent issue of Reference and User Services Quarterly (winter 2007). Zabel wrote of a "resurgence of interest in reference" and that "reference is experiencing a regeneration, a reference renaissance."

Submissions of papers, panels, and workshop proposals are welcomed that analyze issues, identify best practices, advance organizational and technological systems, propose standards, and/or suggest innovative approaches that will reveal as well as invent the future of reference in this exciting and unfolding landscape. The conference will be organized around the following interest tracks. Please note that the sub-bullets are intended to be suggested topics, not to be a comprehensive listing.

Virtual Reference (including e-mail, chat, IM, SMS, Second Life, etc.) Interpersonal aspects of reference service across different types of service Comparison of VR modes Innovative Service Models (including face-to-face, outreach, and Web 2.0) Comparison of different modes (locations, configurations, etc.) of service delivery Social networking applications (such as blogs, wikis, Facebook, MySpace,

etc.)

Case studies in virtual outreach

Satellite (or outpost) reference, roving reference Managing Reference Services Assessment/Evaluation (including guidelines and best practices, benchmarking performance, service quality, accuracy, effectiveness, and

efficiency)

Hiring, training and motivating staff in an era of rapid change (including performance issues) Marketing initiatives Approaches, Values, & Philosophy of Reference Services Reference as teaching How much help to give (e.g., homework, course assignments) Wild Card (including, but not limited to, controversial issues, comparisons, other innovative topics

TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS:

1. Papers (500 word abstracts): include reports and research studies

on any aspect of reference, user studies, evaluation projects, innovative practical applications, theme papers, or theoretical developments. In addition, works in progress and student papers are invited. Submissions should include: 1) a cover sheet with the paper title, author(s), contact information and affiliations(s) for each author, conference track(s) and

2) a second page consisting of a 500 word abstract that summarizes the paper but does NOT show your name or any contact information. Papers will be refereed by the program committee.

2. Panels: include proposals for 1.5 hour long sessions on topics

such as reference innovations, implementation of new technology, evaluation projects, reports by practitioners on current initiatives, theme panels, and contrasting viewpoints on controversial or hot issues.

Innovative formats are sought, especially those that encourage audience participation, such as: roundtable discussions, debates, forums, or case studies. Submissions should include: panel title, names, affiliations, and contact information for all participants (moderators, panelists, respondents, etc.), conference track(s), and a brief overview (250 words) of the issues, projects or viewpoints to be discussed. Panels will be refereed by the program committee.

3. Workshops, Demonstrations, and Reports from the Field: include

proposals for 30 minute sessions on working projects, new services, new approaches to reference instruction, or to developments-in-progress. These can be educational in nature. Submissions should include workshop of demonstration title, names and affiliations of all participants, contact information, conference track(s), and brief overview (250 words) of the session.

DEADLINES:

April 4, 2008 Deadline for All Submissions

May 5, 2008 Notification of Acceptance to Speakers

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Submissions should be sent in electronic format (as an e-mail attachment as a Word document or pdf) to Program Chair Marie L. Radford (mradford@scils.rutgers.edu).

Information on conference registration and hotel reservations will be forthcoming on the conference website at:

QuestionPoint marketing workshop - hosted by OCLC Western

 Promoting Virtual Reference Services on (and off) Campus

Tuesday, March 18, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (4:30 - 5:30 pm GMT)

 ALA Midwinter 2008 Conference in Philadelphia

January 11 - 16, 2008

Best Practices in Cooperative Reference: Reference and Social Networking

Hilton Garden Inn, Salon A/B

Saturday, January 12, 1:30 - 3:30

How do reference services fit in a Web 2.0 world?  Stephen Francoeur will explore how libraries are offering reference services via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and other social network sites and what the practical, legal, and theoretical implications are for answering questions in these environments.  Beth Evans will discuss how social networks such as MySpace provide the librarians at Brookyn College with opportunities to do virtual reference in unexpected ways in unexpected places.  Whether it is answering a direct query, to pushing a snippet of unexpected, personalized, library instruction, to being a knowledgeable voice in the crowd, librarians can guide information seekers online who may have bypassed other methods of reaching their library or librarian.

Who said reference has to be one person, one librarian, one question? Can reference be a social activity? How can we truly put the user at the center of reference? How can we re-imagine reference as a learning activity where the reference librarian facilitates learning? David Lankes will focus on reference as a truly participatory process and how such a process can take advantage in the latest in web technologies.

Our panelists for this session were:

Beth Evans is an associate professor and the electronic services specialist at the Brooklyn College Library.  She has her MLS from Queens College of the City University of New York, an MA from Brown University and a BA from Brooklyn College, CUNY.  She was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker in 2007 for her work with the Brooklyn College Library on MySpace.

Stephen Francoeur is an information services librarian and assistant professor at Baruch College. He regularly writes about reference issues on his blog, Digital Reference.

R. David Lankes is director of the Information Institute of Syracuse, and an associate professor in Syracuse University's School of Information Studies. He was creator of the Virtual Reference Desk Project and has done extensive research into virtual reference. 

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