Until recently, the emphasis in information storage and retrieval systems has been towards batch-processing of large files. In contrast, SHOEBOX is designed for the unformatted, personal file collection of the computer-naive individual. Operating through display terminals in a time-sharing, interactive environment on the IBM 360, the user can browse through, edit, and reorganize passages of text. He can incorporate personal marginal notes and attach descriptors. Searching the files can be done on the basis of index terms or the pattern of the actual words in the text. Special emphasis is placed on mechanisms for treatment of synonyms and for system accommodation to user idiosyncrasies. (Author)