This booklet, one of a series of background papers for the White House Conference, presents information and referral services as one of the ways libraries are developing programs to discharge their responsibilities to the public they serve. It details the determination of a woman librarian in Detroit to develop the first comprehensive I&R service ever to be tried in a public library. Planning involved (1) organizing a community information file, (2) structuring operating procedures, (3) establishing amicable relationships with local social services and government agencies, and (4) familiarizing the staff with the philosophy and methods of I&R service. The paper moves on past the Detroit experience to Memphis and then to Houston--each city's program different from the others. It also discusses some of the much narrower information programs aimed at particular community groups in need of specialized assistance and presents the information needs of rural areas and remote wilderness regions which can only be served by mobile book vans. Particular attention is given to the requirements of the elderly. Technology and how it can be effectively used to extend the scope of information and referral services is discussed at length. (Author/RAA)