I think that one of the main differences between full text and bibliographic databases is the staff input needed and the rapid growth in database size. A bibliographic database will retrieve records and can be used for tracking in the same way as our system. In this case, though, the paper copy still has to be found. One has to hope that the author sent a copy for filing, or that no person has removed the paper you want off the file, or that the file hasn't disappeared, etc., etc. A database such as the one we have created is not a recipe to reduce staffing levels.
All staff create templates for documents being input onto the system.
Where text is available, a number of staff are responsible for attaching the text to the relevant templates. Most staff assist with assigning index terms, but not all are able to. The Treasury database is full text with thesaurus control in order to enhance retrieval both bibliographically and textually. For these reasons, the database works and is a success. Whether it is worth the expense probably depends on what side of the political spectrum you are on.