File Size and the Cost of Processing MARC Records
<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Many systems being developed for utilizing MARC records in acquisitions and cataloging operations depend on the selection of records from a cumulative tape </span><span>file</span><span>. </span><span>Analysis of cost </span><span>data </span><span>accumulated during two years' experi</span><span>e</span><span>nce in using MARC records for the production of catalog cards at the Georgia Tech Library indicates that the ratio of titles selected to titles read from the </span><span>c</span><span>umulative </span><span>file </span><span>is the most significant determinant of cost. This implies that the number of passes of the </span><span>file </span><span>must be minimized and </span><span>an </span><span>effective formula for limiting the growth of the </span><span>file </span><span>must be developed in the design of an </span><span>e</span><span>conomical system. </span></p></div></div></div></div>