As a ceiling fan cut lazy circles in the courthouse air, a score of perspiring Jackson County employees gathered in a small room this week for their first hands-on introduction to a business tool now common in private industry: a voice-mail phone system.

The future drew appreciative giggles, even as a bank of phones bleated like a crazed cross between the well-modulated tones of a young woman, a computer's first attempt at electronic music, and the wail of a distant ambulance siren.

"Thank you for calling ... Boop ... beep, beep, beep ... BOOP! ... To personalize your voice mail ... Thank you for calling."

The cacophony drew a smile from Business Telecom instructor Connie Trowbridge as she explained how to adjust pitch and volume to give each phone an individual ring.

"In fact, you'll find that for the first two hours after we install it, that's ALL you'll hear," Trowbridge said. "So, for those of you in an office, you may want to play with those a little bit -- when you're not real busy."

Despite the giggles, Jackson County's new telephone system now being installed offers serious business advantages to county operations.

Assistant County Administrator Sue Slack said the system is actually two systems. The first is a $362,000 voice-mail phone system by Business Telecom, of Medford. It will link a total of 800 county phones, including 350 new electronic phones, by June 30. Waiting in the wings is a $57,000 audiotext system by Teleworks, based in Virginia.

The voice-mail system replaces a primitive answering machine system that was easily clogged during crises such as the flap this year over Nadas, the dog sentenced to be put to sleep for chasing a horse. People across the country who called to protest could not leave their messages; county employees could not call out.

Even in ordinary times, county residents have complained about being unable to leave voice-mail messages rather than abbreviating their comments for a busy receptionist filling out an old-fashioned carbon-copy memo pad.

"Voice-mail was the big thing that we wanted to have," Slack said. "There's an expectation on the part of the public now that you will be able to leave voice-mail."

The audiotext system (similar to the Mail Tribune's InfoLink) will provide specific, detailed information on county services around-the-clock. These messages could include: immunization days, how to register to vote, burn days, county jobs, jail visiting hours, road closures and more.

As part of the phone system upgrade, a high-speed data transmission line has been installed; that should result in lower long-distance rates for the county, Slack said.

A further advantage is that the new system will operate at anytime a US West dial tone is available. It does not rely on the power company. The old system required power. On one occasion, the county was without power for three hours -- and without phones.