THE FIVE LAWS OF LIBRARY SCIENCE

 THE FIVE LAWS OF LIBRARY SCIENCE

Dr. Ranganathan propounded his Five Laws as follows:

 • Books are for use 

• Every reader his/her book 

• Every book its reader 

• Save the time of the reader 

• The library is a growing organism.

Important Keywords

Book: A packaged carrier of information and knowledge. 

Growing Organism: A biological phenomenon indicating growth, not necessarily indicated externally. 

Information: A recorded message, irrespective of physical form or content. 

Information Society: A new form of social existence in which the storage, production, flow, etc. of networked information plays a central role.

Knowledge: Organised information irrespective of the physical form. 

Reader / User: A person using the resources of library; a customer of information institutions. 

World Wide: An Internet System that distributes graphical Web (WWW) hyperlinked information, based on the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) the Web is the global hypertext system providing access to documents written in a script called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). It was designed in 1989 by Tim Berners - Lee at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).

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First Law: Books are for Use 

By using first law Books are for use you are prone to think that it is a self-evident truth or simple statement which does not merit serious consideration and contemplation. But, on deep pondering you change your opinion. This will become evident if we examine the history of books in libraries. In fact, the earlier accent is on the preservation of books rather than their use. Medieval libraries were an example of chained libraries. The books literally were attached to the shelves with brass chains and could only be used in a single location. Obviously, this was done for the preservation of books rather than facilitating their use. This was a natural inclination, at a time when it was very difficult to produce books. This habit some how continued even after the invention of printing, which facilitated the easy production of several copies of each book. Although, isolated examples of reluctance to permit the unrestricted use of books can be occasionally seen even today, the general position is that books are available for use without any let or hindrance. In fact, policies relating to a library should be helpful in promoting the objective of books being put to maximum use. Let us now examine the implications of the first law in the functioning of a library.

Second Law: Every Reader His/Her Book 

The second law “Every reader his/her book” (the variant form of which is “books for all”) is perhaps the most under stated; even Dr. Ranganathan acknowledged that with this one principle lies so much of what libraries mean for society. “The law relates to the fact that we all have diverse interests and that there is a book out there to satisfy that for all of us”. In other words, the law stands for the mandatory provision of library service to each person according to her/his need. Stated in a different manner, the law advocates the universalisation and democratisation of library service. However, in earlier days only a privileged few belonging to aristocracy and upper classes of society were given access to libraries and books. But, with the advent of democracy which ensured the participation of every citizen in governance, the position dramatically changed. Democracy, for its sustenance and survival, needs an educated knowledgeable citizenry. Hence, education and acquisition of knowledge through whatever institution possible became the basic right of all citizens without any discrimination. Hence, the law “Every Reader His/Her Book”

Third Law: Every Book its Reader 

The third law of library science is “Every Book its Reader”. The approach of this law is oriented towards the book. As per the law, every book in a library should have a chance of finding its appropriate reader and be useful to her/him. In other words, investment in unused books amounts to wastage of funds and must be avoided under all circumstances. The mission of any librarian is to build a wellorganised collection of resources in order to maximise the chance that users will find what they need. The third law implicitly means that “resources look for users” in fact, the duty of the librarian is to help the library resources find the people who want and need them most. Dr. Ranganathan points out, that library users often, do not know enough about available resources to identify what to ask for. According to him “the majority of readers do not know their requirements, and their interests take definite shape only after seeing and handling a wellorganised collection of books”. This principle naturally addresses the fundamental issue of open access. In the open access system, books are arranged in the shelves in classified order and readers have freedom of access to them. In the course of readers browsing through shelves; they may come across books of interest to them, the existence of which they may not be aware of. The chances of readers noticing the books and reading them are enhanced by the open access system. The third law, therefore, definitely advocates open access.

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Fourth Law: Save the Time of the Reader 

The fourth law presents the biggest challenge to the library administrator. Policies must always be formulated keeping in view the needs of the readers (users) in mind. For example, aspects like hours of operation must be set in such a way to ensure the most appropriate and convenient access to patrons who rely on the library for their study and research needs. The collection must be arranged in an inviting clear and obvious way so as not to waste the time of the user in searching for the books they need. Library users may be busy people, and they should not be made to wait longer than necessary to get their needs met. They should get exact and fast service from the library. It must also be noted that in many individuals, intellectual interest may exist only momentarily and unless it is satisfied at the moment of its existence, it may vanish. Hence, the importance of the law “Save the Time of the Reader”. It means satisfied library users. In other words, the prime measure of library’s success, it is important to note that frustrated or disappointed users means that the library has failed in its responsibility and has grossly violated the dictates of the fourth law and failed in its fulfilment. Let us now try to analyse the full implications of this law and the various operational methods employed by libraries to save the time of readers. 

Fifth Law: Library is a Growing Organism 

The fifth law is Library is a growing organism. Dr. Ranganathan compares library to a growing organism. In a living organism the growth is of two kinds: the child growth and the adult growth. We can notice that child growth is characterised by increase in physical dimensions and it is fast and visible. On the other hand, the growth in adults is mainly in the nature of replacement of cells. It is a kind of internal qualitative change, which may not be perceived, and as such, not visible. When we say library is a growing organism, we mean that library is not a static entity, but a dynamic growing entity. In other words, the dynamic nature of the library be properly grasped and provided for right from the time of starting of a library so that its growth is not inhibited due to lack of far-sight and planning. On further analysis, we know that the basic components of a library comprise: i) the book stock (or resources), ii) the staff, iii) the readers, iv) the physical infrastructure such as the building, furniture and equipment. When we say that a library grows, we envisage growth in all these components. Naturally, the fifth law has implications for each one of these components.