Page 34 - DLIS101_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SOCIETY

Unit 3: Concept of Library

Web, Form IV for the software library, Form VI and VIA for the information centre, and form VIII is Notes
for a learning resource centre. Form V is a set of five statements that goes much beyond the confine
of library science. Form VII is a khichri.
An analysis of the five laws reveals that
(i) The 1st law focuses on the usable item,
(ii) The 2nd and 3rd laws focus on the user and the usable item,
(iii) The 4th law is a general appeal,
(iv) The 5th law focuses on the organization, and
(v) The object appearing in the 1st law is a component of the organization figuring in the 5th
law.
Keeping consistency with the five laws, the 5th law of forms VI and VIA should be - An information
centre is a growing organism.
It is likely that these laws will find application in many areas. Hence a generalized form is needed
that can act as a base for deriving other forms depending on the situation and need. An attempt is
made here to provide the generalized form.

3.4.3 Generalized form of the five laws

1. Objects are amenable for some action
Here an ‘object’ means anything that is considered as a noun and ‘action’, any verbal noun. The
term ‘action’ is being chosen here instead of ‘use’ appearing in Ranganathan’s 1st law to ensure
universal application of the law. For example, in a museum an object is for viewing, in a shop an
object is for selling, in a hospital a patient is for treatment, in a religious environment, a temple is
for praying, and so on.

2. Every consumer his or her object [Sentence form: Every consumer should get his or her
object]
If in any environment this statement is likely to create ambiguity, the sentence form is to be preferred.
A ‘consumer’ appearing in the statement means a person such as a reader, customer, patient, devotee,
and so on who uses an object or avails a service

3. Every object its consumer [Sentence form: Every object should get its consumer]
The condition given in 2, is applicable here also.

4. Save the time of the concerned persons
In the Five laws, the 4th Law reads as–Save the time of the reader. Then ‘Save the time of the staff’
was added not as a separate law, possibly as a corollary. Instead of two sentences, only one sentence
has been preferred which takes care of both.
5. An organization is a growing organism

The term ‘organization’ embraces all organizations such a library, an information centre, a business
organization, a hospital, a temple, and so on.

Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
5. The five laws of library science was a theory proposed by S.R. Ranganathan.

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