Celebrating 50 Years! A Pioneering Experiment in Education via a Helpline

Since March 1, 1975, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (known as ISU Home Economics Extension in 1975) has provided a toll-free telephone answering service known as AnswerLine. AnswerLine was founded as an experiment in phone education as envisioned by an Iowa State University Master’s student, Mary Jo Knight Williams (MS, 1978). We could not be more excited to celebrate our history, our success, and all the accomplishments achieved thanks to the many dedicated staff members, clients, and extension partners over the years.

The purpose of the thesis project was to determine the usefulness and effects of providing home economics educational information via a telephone answering service. William’s project was designed to help county home economists answer their daily routine calls to give them more time for program development and presentation and to answer consumer calls more quickly. Ten counties were included in a six-month pilot program using an in-WATS (Wide Area Telephone Service) line on a voluntary basis. Promotion of use was left to the counties.

A home economics extension BS graduate of the University of Missouri at Columbia and former extension family economist and management specialist, Williams served as the first operator. One call was received on the first day of operation with the call volume growing exponentially thereafter. Questions were answered using reference books, home economics subject specialists, and file cards of repeated questions. When the trial period ended in September 1975, it was determined that the service successfully provided the kind of help that both county extension staff and citizens wanted so the service was made available to all Iowa counties on a voluntary basis with promotion and use left to the counties. The service was never intended to replace the county home economists who also called upon AnswerLine to help with answers to more difficult questions. Early calls included questions about “food safety, food preparation, food preservation, nutrition, clothing care, and alterations.” ¹ The helpline was also seen as another tool for extension outreach adding to the already well-established formats of meetings, workshops, fairs, radio and television programs and interviews, newspapers, and mass mailings.

While no one in 1975 could have predicted the current landscape of technology and the many events of the past years that have shaped us, we are thrilled to celebrate this milestone anniversary and our history of service to Iowans and Minnesotans (since 2003). Despite 50 years of history, our goals have not changed since inception:

• Provide a quick response to consumers’ home and family questions.
• Provide unbiased, research-based answers to consumers’ questions.

In the coming months, watch the blog for additional stories about AnswerLine’s history and development from some of the people who have been the voice on the other end of the line. The lines remain open 9 am to Noon and 1-4 pm, Monday through Friday. Calls are toll-free for Iowa at 1-800-262-3804; toll-free for Minnesotans at 1-800-854-1678, or at 515-296-5883 for anyone.

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¹ Williams, Mary Jo Knight.  Educational Effects of a Home Economics Telephone Answer Service in Iowa.  MS thesis, 1978, p8.
Ames Daily Tribune, April 19, 1975, p6. Dial an answer.

Marlene Geiger

I am a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a BS in Home Economics Education and Extension and from Colorado State University with a MS in Textiles and Clothing. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, gardening, quilting, cooking, sewing, and sharing knowledge and experience with others.

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