New and existing reference services in a variety of institutions including colleges and public libraries defined the core of conference topics. The schedule featured more than 100 speakers on subjects as varied as virtual reference, embedded librarians, text and instant messaging services, marketing and merchandising tactics, predatory reference, librarian and professor collaborations, new models, reference outreach and partnerships, products, training, statistics and using web technologies like Facebook to publicize services.

The conference swung into high gear on Monday morning with the welcome by Eugene Hainer, executive director of the Colorado State Library, and the keynote address, Reference in the Age of Wikipedia, Or Not... by David W. Lewis, dean of the University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.

Six conference tracks, ranging from innovative service models, approaches, values and philosophy of reference service all the way to virtual reference ran during the course of both days. Day two featured a plenary panel, Theory Meets Practice: Educators and Directors Talk, a call for librarians to continue reinventing the way they do business. The panel was composed of R. David Lankes, Ph.D., of Syracuse University; Carla Stoffle from the University of Arizona; Marie Radford, Ph.D., of Rutgers University; and Jamie LaRue of Douglas County Libraries. David Lankes and Marie Radford concluded the conference on Tuesday afternoon with a rousing call for continued reference action and change in these interesting times.

Couldn't get to all the sessions you wanted to see? Visit the Reference Renaissance website to see a list of conference presentation materials that are now available.