This learning module, one in a series developed in a project on "Technology and the Liberal Arts," is an introduction to emerging technological developments for information storage. A historical sketch is provided of text technologies leading up to widespread use of the typewriter toward the end of the 19th century. This is followed by an analysis of the information storage capability of microfilm. Storage technology for computer systems is then reviewed, with particular emphasis on magnetic and optical devices and on coding techniques that make text intelligible to machines. Applications of text technologies that have an impact on economics and social organizations are presented in the context of the service sector, including library, insurance office, and hospital automation. The full unit provides the basis of 2 weeks of study as part of a survey course on information technology. Exercises for students are provided. Figures and tables include diagrams of the QWERTY and DVORAK keyboards, the Braille alphabet, the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), and a graph of changes in storage density of magnetic disk drives between 1954 and 1980. (14 references) (GL)