[dtnewman]

> is it considered bad form to give a recruiter reference contacts, without first asking those contacts for permission?

When I was last looking for work, I called up my references and told them that I'm applying to jobs over the next few months and asked if it would be okay to list them as references. One of them said "no problem". The other said also said no problem, but "it would be helpful if you shoot me a warning when I should expect a call, if possible".

Basically, just ask your references. It's bad form on the part of recruiters/employers to contact your references without telling you explicitly first, but it happens, so it's good to have your references on board.