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Ask a Librarian Now

Our professional and friendly team of librarians are always ready to answer your questions, help you get started with research, find an elusive fact, and recommend a great book. Reference services are free and for all ages.

In Person - Receive friendly, personal help at your community library. Reference staff are located at desks in the children's and adult areas of the library during open hours.

By Phone - Speak to a reference professional at your community library during open hours.

By Text Message - We now offer a text message service. Using your cell phone, text message us at the phone number 66746 and start your question with the keyword "know." Example: know How do I find information about photography?

By E-mail - Complete an easy online form and we will respond with brief answers to factual questions and suggest sources which might help answer your questions. Our usual response time is less than 24 hours M-F, although some questions may take longer.

Online Chat 24/7 - Receive assistance from a librarian from any of our participating libraries in California or other libraries throughout the US. This makes it possible for us to offer you assistance 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Chat Reference: Need Help? Ask Us! -s Send a message or question to one of our librarians. Our basic chat hours are
Monday - Saturday, 3:00 - 6:00 PM except for holidays. In the event your question does not get picked up right away it means we're busy chatting with other patrons. Please try again at a later time. If we're offline you can still send us an email by simply filling out the form below in the chat box and we'll respond as soon as possible.

Note: Javascript must be enabled on your computer in order to use this service.

For a Transcript of your session:

During the chat, do the following to provide your e-mail address and request a transcript. You can repeat these steps if you need to make changes.
1. Click
2. Type your e-mail address in the pop-up box.
3. Check the box if you wish to be anonymous.
4. Click Submit.

After the chat, do the following to provide your e-mail address and request a transcript.
1. End the chat .
2. Click the Email transcript link.
3. Type your e-mail address in the pop-up box and click OK.

By Appointment - Request a meeting with our reference staff and we will schedule an appointment to help you with your detailed question and show you how to use the library's resources.

FAQs - Look online for our librarian's answers to frequently asked reference questions.

Homework Help - Online tutors work to provide homework help and skill building for students in grades 3-12. This service is provided through a contract with Brainfuse.