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Foundation of Library and Information Science

Notes participants of the conference were fully convinced with the advantages of draft legislation
and the views of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan. This ‘Model Library Act’ was published by the
Madras Library Association during the year 1936. He later on amended the draft Act twice-
once in 1957 and again in 1972. This Model Library Act was introduced in the shape of Bill
in the Madras Assembly in 1933, through Mr. Basher Ahmed Sayeed, the member of the
Assembly an enthusiast of public library system.
Salient features of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan’s Model Library Act are: -

Except the Kerala Public Libraries Act, 1989, all the Acts, which have passed in India
during the years 1948 to 1990, have the influenced of Model Public Libraries Act
drafted by Dr. S. R. Ranganathan.
Dr. S. R. Ranganathan made persistent efforts for getting the library Acts passed by
various States in India and dreamt of having it a land of libraries. He prepared a
number of Model Bills for various States. Following is a list of them: -
He also prepared a Model Union Library Bill in 1948 and redrafted it in 1957.
India got the first Public Library Act through the ceaseless efforts of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan. For
the first time the Public Library Act was passed by the Madras Legislature in 1948. There is an
interesting story behind the success of getting the Library Bill enacted in the third attempt in
1946 although the two attempts made earlier had failed. The first attempt was made by Janab
Basher Ahmed Sayeed when he introduced the Bill in Madras Legislature in 1933 but it could not
get through as the Madras Legislature was dissolved in 1935. A second attempt was made in 1938
but later on the World War-II began and the Bill could not be adopted. In 1946, Mr.
Avinashalingam Chettiar, who was an old student of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan, became the Education
Minister in Madras State. One day, Dr. S. R. Ranganathan took a copy of the Model Library Act
and went to meet the Minister at his 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.

Did u know? Dr. S. R. Ranganathan drafted a “Model Library Act”, which was presented at
the All Asia Educational Conference held at Banaras in 1930. In 1942 on the request of ILA,
Dr. S. R. Ranganathan drafted another bill called ‘The Model Public Library Bill’.

12.2.2 After Independence

The major steps in implementing library legislation in the post-independence era are as follows
Imperial Library Act (1948): In 1948, the Government of India passed the Imperial Library
(change of name) Act. By this act the Imperial Library of Calcutta (Kolkata) became the
National Library (of India).
Delivery of Books (Public Libraries Act) 1954: In 1954, Indian parliament passed Delivery
of Books and Newspaper Act which was further amended as the Delivery of Books and
Newspaper (Public Libraries) Amendment Act 1956 to include serials as well.
Model Library Act/Bill (1963): A library bill was also drafted in 1963 by a committee under
the chairmanship of Dr. D. M. Sen. Then in 1972 revision was made to the model library act
of 1930. Another model public libraries bill was prepared by the library legislation
subcommittee of the Planning Commission in 1966.

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