The disclosure relates to a system and method for expanding the capacity of the logic control for an information bearing element retrieval system. The system disclosed includes means for determining if the absolute numerical difference between a predetermined digit of a current number identifying the current information bearing element being inspected, and a target number identifying the information bearing element to be inspected, is equal to or greater than a preselected integer. If the absolute numerical difference is equal to or greater than the preselected integer, the normal direction of scanning the information bearing elements is reversed. In so doing, a logic control and display having a finite n digit capacity may properly handle consecutively numbered information bearing elements having identification numbers of more than n digits.