Discusses the contemporary antagonism between the information seeker and the highly technological information storage systems. Arguments are concerned with the price, availability, and response time of various retrieval methods, ranging from the card catalog to the computer, in addition to the user's problems with the more complex systems. (JVP)

Describes three current two-way public information systems representing the major technologies which are being proposed as international standards: Prestel (United Kingdom), Teletel (France), and Telidon (Canada). Information retrieval structures are compared, and difficulties for both the information provider and the information user are…

Presents background information on DOBIS (an online library system) evaluation, software acquisition, and development, and describes the status and plans for DOBIS in the Canadian government. Appendices provide an overview of the Canadian government version of the system from a librarian's and a systems analyst's perspective. (CWM)