The flexibility associated with postcoordinate systems is lost when index terms must be printed out on paper or on conventional catalog cards. Printed indexes and card catalogs are precoordinate; they have the following characteristics: 1. The multidimens

The flexibility associated with postcoordinate systems is lost when index terms must be printed out on paper or on conventional catalog cards. Printed indexes and card catalogs are precoordinate; they have the following characteristics: 1. The multidimensionality of the term relationship is difficult to depict. 2. Terms can only be listed in a particular sequence, which implies that the first term is more important than the others. 3. It is not easy (if not completely impossible) to combine terms at the time a search is performed.