Ask a Librarian provides Florida residents with virtual reference service via live chat and text messaging from 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday (ET), and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday (ET).

Email is available to patrons 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and all email is answered by the user’s local library.  Participating libraries can choose to utilize the email management system available through the Ask a Librarian platform, which offers customized local email forms, new mail notifications, and statistics management, or to utilize their own email management system through a page on that library’s site. Participating libraries may also utilize the software to provide local live chat or text messaging services to their patrons.