Page 38 - DLIS103_LIBRARY_CLASSIFICATION_AND_CATALOGUING_THEORY

Unit 4: Classification Theory

(i) Basic Laws: Ranganathan formulated six basic laws, viz, Notes
1. Law of Interpretation
2. Law of Impartiality
3. Law of Symmetry
4. Law of Parsimony
5. Law of Local Variation
6. Law of Osmosis’
These basic laws govern the thinking process in general. These may be invoked when two or more
Laws of Library Science or Canons for Classification lead to conflicting or equally valid different
decisions.
(ii) Laws of Library Science: Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science are:
1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader his/her book.
3. Every book its reader.
4. Save the time of the reader.
5. A library is a growing organism.
These were formulated in 1928 and were first published in the book.
(iii) Library Science (1931). These laws have an impact on library functions and are invoked
when two or more canons or principles of classification lead to conflicting or equally valid
alternate decisions. These are useful in every branch of library and information science.
(iv) Postulates for Facets: The most significant contribution to the Theory of Classification is
the enunciation, of postulates dealing with the concept of facet analysis and fundamental
categories.
(v) Fundamental Categories: A subject may manifest itself in anyone or all of the fundamental
categories. He postulated that “There are five and only five fundamental categories, namely
Time, Space, Energy, Matter and Personality”, PMEST; for short.
(vi) Facet Sequence: The five fundamental categories form the following sequence when they
are arranged according to their decreasing concreteness PMEST.
(vii) Rounds of ‘Energy’: Ranganathan also postulated that “the fundamental category Energy
may manifest itself in one and die same subject more than once.” These manifestations of
energy are called rounds of manifestations. Similarly, the fundamental categories Person-
ality and Matter may manifest themselves in Round I,’ Round 2 and so on.
(a) Levels: He further postulated that the fundamental categories Personality and Matter
may manifest themselves more than once in one and the same round within a
subject. The first manifestation of a fundamental category within a round is said to be
its level 1 facet in that round.
(b) Space and Time: manifest themselves in the last round. Principles of Facet Sequence:
Ranganathan formulated four principles of Facet Sequence, viz,
1. Wall-Picture Principle
2. Whole-Organ Principle
3. Cow-Calf Principle
4. Actand Action-Actor-Tool Principle
These principles guide us in deciding the sequence of facets, which may appear in a compound
subject.

Task Illustrate the advantages of Ranganathan Theory over Sayers Theory.

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