Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
2/28/00
Contacts:
Joyce Greving, ISU Extension Answer Line, 515-294-3079
Carol Ouverson, ISU Extension Communications,
515-295-9640
Answer Line Celebrates 25th Anniversary
AMES, Iowa--What's 25 years old and has the answers to everything from "How many grams of carbohydrate are in a kumquat" to "How can I get Johnny to pick up his toys"?
Iowa State University Extension's Answer Line turns 25 this spring and its staff fields more than 130 questions a day. Born on March 1, 1975, Answer Line grew out of a thesis written by Mary Jo Williams, the line's first operator.
Today the 800 line, funded by ISU Extension, is available within Iowa and answers nearly 33,000 calls annually. A call to this number--1-800-262-3804--nets the client unbiased research-based answers for questions related to home and family living, according to Joyce Greving, who fields many of the questions.
Nearly 60 percent of the callers want information about food preparation, nutrition, food preservation or food safety, according to Greving. One common question is "How can I reduce the fat in some of my favorite recipes and make them more healthy for my family?"
Another caller may ask,"My child left a crayon in his pocket and it went through the washer and dryer. Now I have crayon over a whole load of clothes. What do I do?"
A majority of the calls come from female homemakers; however, the line also serves hospitals, libraries, schools, hot lunch cooks, college students, the elderly and children at home, Greving said.
"We get calls from 4-H members and other fair exhibitors asking about projects and entries. Men comprise approximately six percent of the callers," she said.
The remaining callers have questions like, "The carpet sample says polypropylene; what does that mean?" Greving regularly fields questions about textiles and clothing, applied art/interior design, housing, child development and consumer education.
"We get a range of questions; some require just a short, quick answer and others may require a several minute discussion. When the question is too in-depth to be answered within a few minutes, we forward it to an ISU specialist with expertise in that subject," Greving said.
Answer Line operates Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also available is a TDD number 1-800-854-1658. Clients also can e-mail questions to x1answer@exnet.iastate.edu.
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