Marcia Tuttle earned a bachelor's degree in religion from Duke University and an MLS from Emory University. She worked at the libraries of Emory University, Princeton University, and the University of Vermont, but the majority of her career was spent at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, where she retired from her position as head of the serials department in 1997.

Tuttle is most recognized for her contributions to serial work. She published the influential textbook, Introduction to Serials Management, in 1983, which was later expanded and reissued as Managing Serials in 1996. From 1985 to 1995, she originated and co-edited the series Advances in Serials Management (ASM) with Jean G. Cook. She founded the Newsletter on Serials Pricing Issues (NSPI) in collaboration with the subcommittee of the RTSD Publisher/Vendor Library Relations Committee. Active from 1989 to 2001, the NSPI was a pioneering electronic newsletter that covered all aspects of serial librarianship.

Tuttle chaired ALA’s RTSD (Resources and Technical Services Division, now ALCTS) Serial section and the Conference Planning Committee (CPC) for the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG). In 1985, she was honored as the first recipient of the Bowker/Ulrich's Serials Librarianship Award for her exceptional work in serials.