Overcome reference services challenges at Reinvented Reference V

Contact: Liz Markel


Marketing Specialist, RUSA/ASCLA


(312) 280-4398

lmarkel@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


February 10, 2009

CHICAGO—Come to Chicago this July and can find solutions to your reference technology, staffing, collaboration and assessment challenges in the interactive preconference “Reinvented Reference V.”

Reference librarians and managers of reference services interested in discovering solutions to challenges facing a reference services staff will reap huge rewards from this preconference co-sponsored by the Reference Services Section (RSS) and the Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) and held in conjunction with ALA's 2009 Annual Conference. Attendees will select two out of four topic areas—technology, assessment, collaboration and reference staffing models—to participate in roundtable discussions where workplace challenges are shared and solution discussed. Using this format, the event is focused on sharing practical, concrete ideas from both our expert panel and peers that you can implement at your library.

The event features a group of presenters with extensive experiences and success in the field, including


Bill Pardue, virtual services librarian at Arlington Heights Memorial Library; Char Booth, e-learning librarian at UC Berkeley; Lisa Ennis, systems librarian and assistant professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Brian Matthews, user experience librarian, Georgia Tech Libraries.

The preconference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 10, in Chicago. Advance registration rates, available until May 22, are $195 for RUSA members, $240 for ALA members, $315 for non-members and $90 for students and retirees. Online registration will be available after May 22, but registrants will pay higher rates.

Annual Conference attendees interested in registering for the meeting and institute—or adding the institute to their current meeting itinerary—can do so through Step 6 (“Your Events”) of the
online registration form or by calling 1-800-974-3084. Those who are interested in only attending the preconference (event code RU1) must register using a
printed registration form, which can then be submitted via mail or faxed per the instructions on the form. On-site registration will be available the day of the event. Lunch is included.

Not a RUSA member, but interested in discounted registration rates on this and other RUSA events? Join, renew or add RUSA to your ALA membership at
www.ala.org/membership. Find out the most up-to-date information about this and all of RUSA's Annual Conference events at the RUSA events page.

The Reference Services Section (RSS) represents the interests of librarians and library support staff engaged in all aspects of reference and information services. The Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) is home to those library professionals interested in attaining the highest possible quality for all aspects of computer-based reference services. The Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. For more information, visit www.ala.org/rusa.