Ranganathan’s Relevant Rules

Abstract

Some things are timeless: golden rule, family traditions, and even more materialistic simple black dress or string of pearls. These classic items are often passed over for a shinier new toy or latest trend. However, they are timeless because we can always return to and trust them. They ground us. For librarians, Ranganathan's five laws of library science are timeless objectives that put our profession's goals in perspective. If we ever lose sight of why or how we're doing our job, Ranganathan's laws provide guidance and structure. So take yourself back to library school--where you probably first heard of Ranganathan--and explore why his laws are timeless for librarianship and how they help libraries stay relevant. Shiyali Ramainrita (S. R.) Ranganathan (1892-1972) was an Indian mathematician and library science scholar.(1) In 1931 he published his Five Laws of Library Science, which were meant to be essential principles to define a library's function and purpose. (2) The five laws state: 1. Books are for use 2. Every reader, his/her book 3. Every book, its reader 4. Save time of reader 5. The Library is a growing organism A CLOSER LOOK 1. Books are for use. In other words, library materials and services should be accessible to users. This law might seem trivial in our day and age, but it harkens back to times when books were often chained to bookshelves and locked in rooms away from patrons who wanted to use them. Fortunately, we're seeing less and less of this type of restriction to access. However, digital age does have new repercussions for this first law. One way libraries are making their materials more accessible is by providing free online access to resources where and when users need them. This means that more and more, our users can access materials when they want and from location of their choice. An extension of this law is that libraries ensure that their users at multi-campus locations have access to same resources as at main location. A caveat to keep in mind is that electronic access is not always only way to go for better access. While it seems like most users today prefer online access, it's a careful balancing act. Eliminating free access to print resources in lieu of complete online access for only those users with a login and password can be viewed as a modern-day equivalent to breaking this first rule, and librarians should take their patrons' habits and desires into thoughtful consideration. One way that libraries have exemplified this law is interlibrary loan (ILL) service. While librarians tend to overlook this service because we're so familiar with it, it is quite powerful. Often explaining ILL concept to patrons produces that wow-factor that is sometimes hard to come by. At Penn State, I often hear our student Lion Ambassadors mention ILL to prospective families on campus tours--so you know concept resonates with them. Recently my sister asked me for the skinny on ILL so she could inform a parental support group about service to help them locate more resources about raising children with autism. ILL is a true manifestation of adage that there's strength in numbers, and by building networks of information resources, libraries are truly indivisible. Collaborating is something we do well and we should capitalize on it to pass this great service on to our patrons. While it's easy to think of examples of making materials accessible to patrons, we can also look at this law from a service standpoint. Librarians have strong commitments to service and finding out what kinds of services our patrons want is another way we continue to stay relevant in today's world. For example, we realize that learning doesn't stop after library's doors close at night, so when possible, libraries increase their hours--often staying open all night. …