Knowledge Base Search
State Virtual Reference Services
Updated April 2019
– 7 Statewide Collaborative programs are highlighted in bold
– 29 States with State Library agencies providing service. Some are presented as being intended for broad public audiences, especially those offering chat, and some appear intended for State Library users.
– 12 States with no statewide service. Some State Library pages offer contact us links that do not appear to offer virtual reference.
– The information was gathered by visiting State Library websites and using the LIS Wiki – “Chat reference libraries” http://liswiki.org/wiki/Chat_reference_libraries.
| State | Status | Description | Website |
| Alabama | none | ||
| Alaska | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail & phone service | http://library.alaska.gov/forms/AskALibrarian.aspx |
| Arizona | none | ||
| Arkansas | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail & phone service | http://www.library.arkansas.gov/references/Pages/AskaLibrarian.aspx |
| California | Ask the State Library | State Library e-mail (Statewide VR discontinued 2010) | http://askstatelibrary.libraryresearch.info/reft100.aspx?pmi=UuXDmTKIcw |
| Colorado | none | ||
| Connecticut | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides chat, e-mail & phone service | http://www.ctstatelibrary.org/sections/contact |
| Delaware | Ask a Librarian Delaware | State Library provides email and text support | http://lib.de.us/askalibrarian/ |
| Florida | Ask a Librarian | Collaborative – Statewide Virtual Reference – LSTA supported | http://www.askalibrarian.org/ |
| Georgia | none | ||
| Hawaii | State Public Library Ask-A-Librarian (email reference service) | State library provides email reference service for the public libraries and phone “quick reference” services | http://www.surveyshare.com/s/AQAIY2A |
| Idaho | none | ||
| Illinois | Ask the Illinois State Library | State Library provides e-mail & phone service | http://www.ilsos.gov/ContactFormsWeb/email_ref.jsp |
| Indiana | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides chat, e-mail & phone service | http://www.in.gov/library/ask.htm |
| Iowa | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides chat, text, e-mail, & phone service | http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/services/services/askalibrarian |
| Kansas | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides chat, text, e-mail, phone service | http://www.kslib.info/ask-a-librarian.html |
| Kentucky | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail service to state employees & librarians | http://kdla.ky.gov/Pages/AskALibrarian.aspx |
| Louisiana | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides statewide e-mail service | http://www.state.lib.la.us/ask-a-librarian |
| Maine | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail & phone service | http://www.maine.gov/msl/services/ask.htm |
| Maryland | Ask us Now with 24/7 | Collaborative – Statewide Virtual Reference. LSTA supported | http://www.askusnow.info/ |
| Massachusetts | Ask a Librarian | State Library handles Mass. Govt related questions | http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/oversight-agencies/lib/ask-a-librarian.html |
| Michigan | Ask a Librarian | Statewide e-mail & phone provided by State Library | http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/0,2351,7-160–225165–,00.html |
| Minnesota | Ask MN | Collaborative – Statewide Virtual Reference, inc. academic service | http://www.askmn.org/ |
| Mississippi | none | ||
| Missouri | none | ||
| Montana | none | ||
| Nebraska | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides chat, text, e-mail & phone service | http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/ask.asp |
| Nevada | Ask a Nevada Librarian | State Library provides e-mail & phone service | http://nsla.nv.gov/layouts/Page_Style_1.aspx?ekfrm=58705 |
| New Hampshire | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail & phone service about NH Govt | http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/ask/ |
| New Jersey | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail, text, & phone service including law
(QandANJ ceased services 12/30/11) |
http://slic.njstatelib.org/slic_home/ask_a_librarian |
| New Mexico | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail service | http://www.nmstatelibrary.org/about-nmstatelibrary/ask-a-librarian |
| New York | Ask Us 24/7 | New York’s 3R’s Library Councils provide collaborative chat with 24/7 support though global 24/7 Reference cooperative. Includes academics. | http://www.askus247.org/ |
| North Carolina | NCknows | Program was eliminated 7/2016 | http://ncknows.org/index.html |
| North Dakota | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail service | http://www.library.nd.gov/referencerequest.html |
| Ohio | Ask Us | Email, phone and chat servies provided during State Library hours of operation | https://library.ohio.gov/ask-us/ |
| Oklahoma | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail & phone service | http://odl.oklibshare.org/ask-a-librarian/ |
| Oregon | Answerland | Statewide collaborative chat, text, and e-mail provided by Multnomah County Public Library by contact with the State Library. Includes academic services. LSTA funded. | http://www.answerland.org/
2013 Task Force Report (on service’s future) http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/projects/RecommendationsByTaskForce.pdf |
| Pennsylvania | AskherePA | Statewide collaborative chat, text, e-mail. Includes academics. LSTA grant | www.askherepa.org |
| Rhode Island | Ask RI | State Library contracts with Providence Public Library to provide e-mail service. | http://askri.org/chat-2/ |
| So. Carolina | Ask a Librarian | Chat and email service through state library “contact us” at bottom of website | http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/about-us |
| So. Dakota | none | ||
| Tennessee | none | ||
| Texas | Reference Desk (Reading Room) | State Library provides e-mail & phone service | https://www.tsl.texas.gov/landing/start.html |
| Utah | none | ||
| Vermont | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail service | http://www.vermont.gov/portal/help/librarian.php |
| Virginia | none | ||
| Washington | Ask Wa | State Library provides collaborative 24/7 service including an academic service. Receives LSTA funding | http://ask.wa.gov/publicgateway/ |
| West Virginia | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail service | http://www.librarycommission.lib.wv.us/html/webforms/askalibrarian.html |
| Wisconsin | BadgerLink Ask a Librarian | BadgerLink provides e-mail service. AskAway statewide collaborative service using Question Point appears to have been discontinued in 2011. | http://badgerlink.dpi.wi.gov/ask-librarian |
| Wyoming | Ask a Librarian | State Library provides e-mail service | http://will.state.wy.us/sis/RefForm/contactform.htm |