Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!telecom-request From: !carroll@ssc-vax.uucp (Jeff Carroll) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Phonefiche Directories Message-ID: Date: 15 Mar 91 03:35:59 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Reply-To: Jeff Carroll Organization: Boeing Aerospace & Electronics Lines: 36 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 204, Message 10 of 14 In article djcl@contact.uucp (woody) writes: > The company that puts out the Phonefiche is UMI, reachable at 300 > North Zeeb Rd, Ann Arbor MI 48106; tel (800) 521.0600 or (313) > 761.4700. My understanding is that Southwestern Bell and possibly one or two other LECs have refused to release this information to UMI, or indeed to anyone else. The obvious implication is that Phonefiche is not a universal solution. My personal experience is that Phonefiche is in general not as good a solution to the problem as the roomful of phone books. My problems with Phonefiche fall into three general categories: 1) Knowing which fiche to look at for a phone number located in an obscure suburb or outlying area. (Yes, Phonefiche comes with a little cross-reference index booklet, but those easily get lost at your typical public library.) 2) Needing a phone number in a small, isolated rural community. (The roomful of phonebooks was usually more complete in this regard; in my experience, about 70% of cases I was interested in were covered. With Phonefiche the percentage is considerably lower.) 3) Needing a number in one of Phonefiche's geographical "holes", mentioned above. In summary, if I need a phone number in a remote community, I try to wait until I'm at the Seattle Public Library, which still has a large collection of paper phone books. Jeff Carroll carroll@ssc-vax.boeing.com