sub get_next_rec
  {
    my $self = shift;
    local $/ = $self->{recsep};
    my $fh = $self->{fh};
    $rec = <$fh>;
  }

sub _read_record {
  my $self = shift;

  my $rec = $self->get_next_rec();

## Rest of the subroutine...

}