Staff costs for cataloging have declined at Iowa;cl State University Librar
y. This is demonstrated by data from a longitudinal time and cost study beg
un In 1987. We discuss the national developments, technological advancement
s, and reengineering efforts that have supported greater cataloging effecti
veness and quality. We use the ISU findings as an example of a nationwide p
henomenon resulting from the the remarkable ability of catalogers to share
work through national bibliographic utilities.