 Ask a Librarian began as a partnership between the College Center for Library Automation (CCLA) and TBLC in the interest of creating a statewide virtual reference service that would increase the presence of librarians on the internet.In 2002, the organizations successfully applied for a joint grant through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and were awarded $339,000 for the development and implementation of their pilot project as a service of the Florida Electronic Library.The Ask a Librarian virtual reference service was officially activated on July 28, 2003.