Purdue News
Purdue News
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January 20, 2004 Purdue researchers stand ready to find elusive technical factsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Questions? Purdue can find the answers. In the past year alone, Purdue located hard-to-find answers to more than 600 questions through its Technical Information Service. Started 16 years ago, the fee-based service is designed to help Indiana businesses, but also takes requests from around the globe. "The requests are pretty amazing, yet this past year we were able to come up with information for 84 percent of the inquiries," said David McKinnis, Technical Assistance Program director. "How can you make golf clubs out of Soviet missiles? What swine diseases can be transmitted to humans? We found the answers, and in most cases, turned the information around in five days or less." Technical Information Service staff also can supply articles and books from the Purdue University Libraries collection. These typically can be delivered within 48 hours. For titles not owned by Purdue, special orders can be placed. By providing book loans, the Technical Information Service makes the Purdue collection available to clients throughout North America. McKinnis said business leaders, legal professionals, government agencies and manufacturing companies all seek help from the Technical Information Service. "When a company or business has a technical information question, contacting the Technical Information Service is a great way to locate answers quickly," McKinnis said. "Our information specialists take advantage of resources in all formats, including subscription databases, the Internet, hard-copy books and reports. They also won't hesitate to approach professors, government agencies and industry experts to get the answers they need." Suzanne Ward, Technical Information Service manager, says no request is too unusual. "Although clients usually request research on weighty topics, like intergranular damage of alumel or canine epilepsy, information specialists particularly enjoy occasional offbeat searches such as the one on industry standards for washing beer glasses," Ward said. In 2003, 63 percent of documents were electronically delivered via e-DOC, which allows clients to avoid delivery charges. Research fees are $50 per hour for Indiana clients and $80 per hour for out-of-state clients. The Technical Information Service can be contacted during regular business hours at (765) 494-9876, tis@purdue.edu. Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu Sources: David McKinnis, (765) 494-6258, mckinnis@purdue.edu Suzanne Ward, (765) 494-9876, ward@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Note to Journalists: A copy of the Technical Information Service annual report is available. Contact Technical Information Service staff at (765) 494-9876.
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