Page 120 - DLIS101_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SOCIETY

Unit 11: Library Legislation—II

Dr. S. R. Ranganathan took a copy of the Model Library Act and went to meet the Minister at his Notes
house after his usual morning walk. The Minister was surprised to see his “Guru” early in the
morning and enquired about the purpose of his visit. Dr. S. R. Ranganathan replied that he came to
demand his “Gurudakshina”. When the Minister promised to offer the same, Dr. S. R. Ranganathan
gave a copy of Model Act and expressed his wish to have it enacted into a law during his tenure as
Minister. Mr. Avinashalingam Chettiar piloted the Bill and got it enacted in 1948.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. In the year ...... Dr. S.R. Ranganathan visited a number of public libraries during his stay in
United Kingdom.
2. ...... was the first person in India who ever thought about the need for library legislation
after returning to India from England.
3. The ...... Act was published by madras library Association.

11.2 Public Library

A public library (also called circulating library) is a library which is accessible by the public and is
generally funded from public sources and may be operated by civil servants. Taxing bodies for
public libraries may be at any level from local to national central government level.’ “The public
library is an excellent model of government at its best. A locally controlled public good, it serves
every individual freely, in as much or as little depth as he or she wants.”
Public libraries exist in most places in the world and are often considered an essential part of having
an educated and literate population. Public libraries are distinct from research libraries, school
libraries, or other special libraries in that their mandate is to serve the public’s information needs
generally (rather than serve a particular school, institution, or research population), as well as offering
materials for general entertainment and leisure purposes. Public Libraries provide free services
such as preschool story times to encourage early literacy. Public libraries are typically lending
libraries, allowing users to take books and other materials off the premises temporarily; they also
have non-circulating reference collections. Public libraries primarily focus on popular materials
such as popular fiction and movies, as well as educational and non fiction materials of interest to
the general public; computer and internet access are also often offered.
In addition to print books and periodicals, most public libraries today have a wide array of other
media including audio books, e-books, CDs, cassettes, video tapes, DVDs, and video games, as well
as facilities to access the Internet and inter-library loans (borrowing items from other
libraries).Readers’ advisory is a fundamental public library service that involves suggesting fiction
and nonfiction titles (often called “readalikes”).
Public libraries may also provide other services, such as community meeting rooms, storytelling
sessions for infants, toddlers, preschool children, or after-school programs, all with an intention of
developing early literacy skills and a love of books. In person and on-line programs for reader
development, language learning, homework help, free lectures and cultural performances, and other
community service programs are common offerings. One of the most popular programs offered in
public libraries are summer reading programs for children, families, and adults. In rural areas, the
local public library may have, in addition to its main branch, a mobile library service, consisting of
one or more buses furnished as a small public library, serving the countryside according to a regular
schedule.

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