This article presents the results of a study investigating the asynchronous Ask-a-Librarian service at New York University's Libraries. E-mails received over the first 20 months of service were analyzed in an attempt to define useful question categories that would represent the unique experience of reference librarians working in the virtual environment. Ultimately, the questions were grouped into six categories: Statements, Factual, Provide, Instruct, Advise, and Need. These types are more informative than the simple reference/non-reference dichotomy, and reflect various implied intentions of the questions' authors, otherwise obscured by a lack of visual cues associated with face-to-face reference.
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