Page 25 - DLIS001_FOUNDATION_OF_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SCIENCE

Foundation of Library and Information Science

Notes Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:

Explain an overview of Laws of Library Science
Discuss the First Law “Books are for Use”
Describe the Second Law “Every Reader His/Her Book”
Discuss the Third Law “Every Book Its Reader”

Explain the Fourth Law “Save the Time of the Reader”
Describe the Fifth Law “Library is a Growing Organism”

Introduction

In the previous unit, we dealt with the definition, history, need, purpose and functions of
Library Science. Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science are a set of norms, precepts and
guides to good practices in librarianship. Ranganathan also published a book entitled “Five
Laws of Library Science”. It described the five laws of library science and their implications. The
essence of this work is that books are meant for use and user is the prime factor, his time must
be saved. These laws are also valid guides to practices in the wider area of documentation and
information systems and services. The purpose of this unit is to enable the students to comprehend
basic expressions. At the end of this unit, you should be able to understand the five laws of
library science.

2.1 Laws of Library Science: An Overview

According to Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan considered by librarians all over India as the
father of library science, “there can be no doubt however, that there are certain essential principles
underlying the management of library according to the present days’ need and conception”. Ranganathan
expounded these principles in a systematic form and reduced them to five cardinal principles.
He has developed all these rules of library organization and management as the necessary
implication and inevitable corollaries of his five laws.
In the context of library science, Dr. S. R. Ranganathan conceived the five laws of library science
in 1924. The statement embodying these laws were formulated i.e. the laws took the final form
in 1928 and a detailed account of these laws and their implication were published in the form of
a book in 1931 by Bombay Asia Publishing House (This is also the year in which Melville Dewey
passed away). Most librarians worldwide accept them as the foundations of their philosophy.
The five laws of library science are:

1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader his/her book (i.e. books are for all).
3. Every book its reader (i.e. every book in a library must find its reader)
4. Save the time of the reader (i.e. a user is supposed to be a busy person. So his/her time
must be saved). Corollary: Save the time of the staff.
5. Library is a growing organism (A library always grows in terms of document i.e. book,
reader or user and staff).

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