For a number of years the Province of Ontario, through legislation, has recognized the Toronto Public Library (which includes the former Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library) as a "special library services board... [which] may provide library resources and services to the Ontario library community". The current legislation authorizes the Ministry of Culture to "specify additional resources and services to be provided by the Board" and also states that the Ministry "may make grants to the Board" to deliver services to the provincial library community.

The Ministry of Culture intends through its support for the development and operation of the Virtual Reference Library to:

• support lifelong learning and literacy skills of all Ontarians;
• increase public access to reliable reference information;
• complement and broaden the reference capacity of public libraries throughout the province;
• enhance small library’s local collections; and
• to increase the Canadian content of information available through the Internet and other electronic means.

For more information please visit the Ontario Ministry of Culture website at  http://www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/library/index.html