Five Laws of Library Science

 

The Five Laws of Library Science is a theory that Dr.S.R.Ranganathan presented for the

first time in 1928 at a conference held in the Meenakshi College, Annamalainagar.

These laws were first published in Ranganathan's book entitled Five Laws of Library

Science in 1931. He is regarded as the father of Library Science in India. He played a key

role in the development of the Library movement.

Books are for Use

This is the First Law of Library Science. In History, you get to see that books were kept as

showpieces. Now also people use books for decoration purposes. Ranganathan said that

books are not to be kept on shelves closed or in a chain, rather They should be used more

and more. Previously more stress was given to storage. He agreed that storage and

preservation were issues that could not be neglected but He propagated that it should be

open for user's access. He gave a few suggestions to promote the use of books. This is one

of the five laws of library science which promotes the reading of books for all.

Library Location is very important in the context of First Law. It should be in proximity to

users. It should not be too far. If it is a public library then it should be in the middle of the

city. In the same way, if it is a school, college, or university library then it should be in the

midst of campus so that students can easily reach the library. The Library should not be

near the main road as traffic noise will create problems for users.

Library Timing is another factor that will help users to use the books in Libraries. The

Timing should be flexible enough so that with their regular classes, they can visit the

library and get the books issued. If it is a public library then the timing should suit the

general people. In the evening, the office goes and students are free and they can visit the

library. So Timing plays an important role in getting books used in Libraries. In hostels also

evening timing is suitable for students.

The Library has an open and closed access system. The close access system is where

users go to the counter and demand books. The books are issued to them. But if that

book is issued then users return empty hand. But In the open-access system, the user

gets some other books issued if that book is not available. He has the option to see which

other books are available. So In this way, books are used more in open-access systems.

The Library should be well-ventilated so that users don't get tired. The shelf should be of

general height so that users can easily get books from the shelf. The shelf should not be

closed. The chairs should be comfortable enough to sit for longer periods. There should be

proper lighting. These facilities attract users to the library, Thus more and more books are

being used.

The Library Staff helps users get the required documents. His behavior should be good

so that users can approach him for the documents. In this way, the users get the solution

to their problems.

Every Reader his/her book.

The Second Law of Library Science states that Every Reader his/her Book. Ranganathan

meant that the Reader may be a school, college, and university student. He may be a

retired old man, a researcher, a worker, unemployed youth, etc. So the books should be

available for all age groups. This is one of the five laws of library science which states that

every reader gets his book after visiting the library.

The Reader may be of Science, Humanities, or Commerce background. The reader wants

to read books for leisure and so he needs books for relaxation. So the books selected by

the librarian should cater to the needs of all the readers. Librarians should respect the readers'

choices.

The Books should be procured by the Librarian in some regional languages other than English.

English is the international language and so most books are available in English. But at

the same time, some readers are comfortable with regional language books. In this way, all

the readers will get to read the books of their choice.

Public Libraries should open in every city so that local people get to access the library.

They are updated in this way. The government should take the initiative in opening public libraries

and contribute to the development of society. A well-informed reader is an asset to

society.

Every Book its Reader

The Third Law states that Every Book its Reader. Ranganathan said that the books

selected for the library should fetch its readers. The Librarian should take enough time

and analysis before purchasing library materials. As you know the Library has very little

budget, especially schools, colleges, and public libraries. So funds should be properly

utilized. This is one of the five laws of library science which states that every book in the

library should get its reader.

The books which are being purchased for the first time should be procured in fewer numbers.

If that book is being used satisfactorily then we can increase more books of that title.

Sometimes Teachers recommend that books which are being written by him, in large

quantity. But later we find that books do not cover all the syllabus and thus readers don't

use that book.

The Books should be kept on open shelves and then only readers will reach the shelves and

get the books. The Catalogue should be prepared so that users get to know about all the

books available in that library.

The Books should be Classified according to subjects and a Call Number is given on every

book, which helps the user in reaching the shelves after searching that book in the

catalog. The Catalogue locates that book. These Catalogue cabinets or Online Public

Access Catalog (OPAC) terminal should be kept at the entrance of the Library.

Reference Librarian guides the user about different books according to their requirement.

He recommends specific books to users.

The new Arrival List should be put on the Library Notice Board or sent to the user's email. Then the

only the user will reach the library to get that book, which is recently procured.

A bibliography plays an important role in getting books, as it is compiled according to topics

and subjects. This makes it easy for the user to get lots of books on a particular topic.

Extension Services also helps in getting the books to readers. This is a remote service.

The books are kept in the van and go to remote places where users issue the books. It is

generally a weekly service. It is also called Mobile Library.

Save the Time of the Reader

The Fourth Law states "Save the Time of the Reader". Ranganathan clearly says that the

User's Time is Precious. He visits Library for his requirements. He needs books for getting

knowledge and for his studies. He needs books for examination, which may happen in the

coming days. So In this situation, users are under stress, and we Librarians should help

him in getting his required book easily. The users get annoyed if kept waiting for a longer

period. This is one of the five laws of library science which gives stress on saving time.

The Library should have an Open access system, where users easily go to shelves and find

the required books. If the required book is issued, he may get related books. The users

are aware of the shelves as they constantly visit the shelves of their subjects.

Again I would like to say that Cataloguing and Classification play a great role in organizing

library study materials. In this way, users independently find the required books after

using the catalog. These days OPAC Online catalog is a boon for users. It helps them

retrieve books through different search options in very little time.

RFID facility helps users to self-check in and self-checkout the books. I mean issue and

return of books are easily done by users, without wasting their time. Nowadays Library is

open 24 Hours, thus giving enough time to visit the library at their convenience.

Again according to this law, the Library should be in the middle of the city or institution.

We can say the Library location should be in the heart of the institution or City. It will be

convenient for users, to reach the library without wasting time.

Reference Librarians should guide the users. Library Guides should be available for users.

Subject tags should be put on every shelf so that users can easily locate the books.

Library is a growing Organism

The fifth Law of Library Science states that the Library is a growing organism. It means

that every organism grows. In the same way, the Library grows in the collection and in

size also. This is one of the five laws of library science which states that libraries will grow

gradually with time.

Readers are growing with time. More and more students are enrolling and so readers

number is increasing. They have different requirements. To satisfy their needs we

have to procure more library materials. This leads to an increase in the collection.

The Library collection grows with time. There is an information explosion. Publications are

done rapidly. New Subjects are emerging due to research in every field. The Journals'

Collection is an important part of the Library and so its collection is growing very fast. So

due to collections, we have shifted to new big buildings to accommodate the huge collection of

the library.it is necessary and every library has to go through these phases.

Then you need more library staff to deal with more readers and a huge collection which will

keep growing with the time.

Thus these Five Laws of Library Science have improved Library services and keep

improving in the future. It is still prevalent after the advent of new technology.

Variants of Five Laws of Library Science

Michael Gorman 1998, ex-president of American Library Association (ALA),

recommended the following laws:

1. Libraries serve humanity.

2. Respect all forms by which knowledge is communicated.

3. Use technology intelligently to enhance service.

4. Protect free access to knowledge.

5. Honor the past and create the future.

Alireza Noruzi in 2004, Librarian by profession, recommended the application of

Ranganathan's Five laws of library science to the Web:

1. Web resources are for use.

2. Every user has his or her web resource.

3. Every web resource its user.

4. Save the time of the user.

5. The Web is a growing organism.

Librarian Carol Simpson in 2008, recommended the following edits to Rangarthan's five

laws of library science in the context of media:

1. Media are for use.

2. Every patron his information.

3. Every medium its user.

4. Save the time of the patron.

5. The library is a growing organism.

B. Shadrach in 2015, proposed an alternative law, adapted at the 2015 Indian Public

Libraries Conference in New Delhi:

1. Knowledge is for use in all forms.

2. Every citizen has the right to access all knowledge in all forms.

3. Every piece of knowledge is for access by all without discrimination of any kind.

4. Save the time of all of the knowledge seekers.

5. A library or a knowledge system is one that evolves with time to achieve all of the

above laws

Dr. Achala Munigal in 2016 recommended the laws in the context of the application of social tools

in libraries:

1. Social Media is for use

increasingly in libraries by librarians.

2. Every user his or her Social Tool.

3. Every Social Tool its user.

4. Save time of user by providing information he or she seeks using the social tool he

or she is familiar with.

5. Social Media is a growing organism, with various tools and apps being introduced

every day. Libraries are not brick and stone anymore. They serve members and non-

members alike in terms of non-traditional library service, irrespective of space and

time.

The above thinkers recommended these laws in addition to Dr. S.R.Ranganthan's Five Laws

of Library Science. Some wanted to edit these laws. But they have developed these

different variants of laws which seem to be right in their context.