Editing Five laws of library science

{{Short description|Principles of library operations proposed by S. R. Ranganathan}}
{{Infobox book
| italic title      = Five laws of library science
| name              = Five laws of library science
| image             = Five-laws.jpg
| image_size        = 
| border            = 
| alt               = Five laws of library science
| caption           = Five laws of library science
| author            = [[S. R. Ranganathan]]
| audio_read_by     = 
| title_orig        = 
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| country           = [[India]]
| language          = [[English language|English]]
| series            = Madras Library Association Publication Series
| release_number    = 2
| subject           = Library science
| genre             = Theory
| set_in            = 
| publisher         = Madras Library Association
| publisher2        = 
| pub_date          = 1931
| english_pub_date  = 1931
| published         = 
| media_type        = Print
| pages             = 520 pages
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The '''five laws of library science''' is a theory that [[S. R. Ranganathan]] proposed in 1931, detailing the principles of operating a [[library]] system. Many [[librarian]]s from around the world accept the laws as the foundations of their philosophy.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Koehler|first1=Wallace C.|last2=Hurych|first2=Jitka M.|last3=Dole|first3=Wanda V.|last4=Wall|first4=Joanna|title=Ethical values of information and library professionals—an expanded analysis|journal=The International Information & Library Review|volume=32|issue=3–4|pages=485–506|date=2000|doi=10.1080/10572317.2000.10762533|s2cid=220309854}}</ref><ref name="Rubin">{{cite book|last=Rubin|first=Richard E.|title=Foundations of library and information science|publisher=[[Neal-Schuman Publishers]]|edition=4th|date=2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=muk_DwAAQBAJ|isbn=9780838913703}}</ref>

These laws, as presented in Ranganathan's ''The Five Laws of Library Science'', are:
#Books are for use.
#Every person his or her book. 
#Every book its reader.
#Save the time of the reader.
#A library is a growing organism.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ranganathan|first=S. R.|author-link=S. R. Ranganathan|title=The Five Laws of Library Science|series=Madras library association. Publication series; 2 |publisher=Edward Goldston, Ltd.|location=London|date=1931|pages=1, 75, 299, 337, 382|hdl=2027/uc1.$b99721 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.$b99721}}</ref>

==Overview==

===First Law: Books are for use===
The first law of library science, "Books are for use," constitutes the basis for library services. This law means that [[Book|books]] in libraries are not meant to be shut away from users. Ranganathan observed that books were often chained to prevent their removal and that the emphasis was on storage and preservation rather than use.<ref name="brennan">{{cite web |url=https://www.railslibraries.info/director-blog/20130327/five-laws-library-science |title=The Five Laws of Library Science |last=Brennan |first=Deirdre |date=March 27, 2013 |website=RAILS |access-date=April 29, 2022}}</ref> He did not reject the notion that preservation and storage were important, but he asserted that the purpose of such activities should be to promote use.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=McMenemy |first=David |date=2007-03-06 |title=Ranganathan's relevance in the 21st century |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00242530710730268/full/html |journal=Library Review |language=en |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=97–101 |doi=10.1108/00242530710730268 |issn=0024-2535|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Without user access to materials, there is little value in these items. By emphasizing use, Dr. Ranganathan refocused the attention of the field to access-related issues,<ref name="Rubin"/> such as the library's location, loan policies, hours and days of operation, the quality of staffing, and mundane matters, such as library furniture and [[temperature control]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fleming-May |first=Rachel A. |date=2011 |title=What Is Library Use ? Facets of Concept and a Typology of Its Application in the Literature of Library and Information Science |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/660133 |journal=The Library Quarterly |language=en |volume=81 |issue=3 |pages=297–320 |doi=10.1086/660133 |s2cid=145419117 |issn=0024-2519|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Second Law: Every person his or her book===
The second law of library science, "Every person his or her book," means that librarians should serve a wide collection of patrons, acquire literature to fit a wide variety of needs, and refrain from prejudice or judging what specific patrons choose to read. Librarians should respect that everyone is different and that everyone has different [[Aesthetic taste|tastes]] regarding the books they choose. After the publication of ''The Five Laws of Library Science,'' Ranganathan named children, the [[Physical disability|physically disabled]], artisans, newly literate adults, the [[Intellectual disability|intellectually disabled]], [[Working class|working-class]] individuals, and individuals with niche interests as specific groups of potential readers that are served through the application of the second law.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ranganathan|first=S. R.|title=Library science and scientific method|journal=[[Annals of Library and Information Studies]]|volume=4|issue=1|pages=26–27|publisher=[[Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre]]|location=[[New Delhi]]|date=March 1957|language=en|url=http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/28515/1/ALIS%204%281%29%2019-32.pdf|issn=0972-5423}}</ref> In addition, a library collection must represent the community it serves.<ref name=":0" />

===Third Law: Every book its reader===
The third law of library science, "Every book its reader," means all books have a place in the library, even if only a small demographic might choose to read them.<ref name="brennan" /> Ranganathan later clarified that the term "book" could be generalized to mean any document.{{sfn|Ranganathan|1957|p=28}}

===Fourth Law: Save the time of the reader===
The fourth law of library science, "Save the time of the reader," means that all patrons should be able to easily locate the materials they desire quickly and efficiently. The practice of librarianship creates systems, services, workflows, guides and frameworks to the benefit of practicality to the user.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hudson|first=David James|chapter=The Whiteness of Practicality|title=Topographies of Whiteness: Mapping Whiteness in Library and Information Studies|editor-last=Schlesselman-Tarango|editor-first=Gina|pages=203–234|date=2017|location=Sacramento|publisher=Library Juice Press|url=https://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/handle/10214/11619|access-date=28 April 2022}}</ref> Ranganathan said the fourth law in turn saves the time of the library staff through such practices as centralized [[classification]] and [[Cataloging (library science)|cataloging]], documenting materials before sending them to the library that ordered them, and mechanizing methods for information retrieval.{{sfn|Ranganathan|1957|p=29-30}}

===Fifth Law: A library is a growing organism===
The fifth law of library science, "A library is a growing organism," means that a library, like an [[organism]], should be a dynamic institution that is never static in its outlook. Ranganathan identified two types of growth: growth that increases the quantity of items in the library's collection, and growth that improves the collection's overall quality through the replacement of materials.{{sfn|Ranganathan|1957|p=30}} Books, methods, and the physical library should be updated over time. There needs to be a consideration of growing physical space, but in the 21st century this has come to mean the multiple formats and platforms a collection can encompass.<ref name=":0" />

==Variants==

===The Law of Parsimony===
Ranganathan also wrote about what he called "The Law of Parsimony." According to this law, financial resources should generally not be allocated to books that have a limited audience.{{sfn|Ranganathan|1957|p=27}}

===By other individuals===
In 1998, [[Michael Gorman (librarian)|Michael Gorman]], a past president of the [[American Library Association]], recommended the following laws in addition to Ranganathan's five:

#Libraries serve humanity.
#Respect all forms by which knowledge is communicated.
#Use technology intelligently to enhance service.
#Protect free access to knowledge.
#Honor the past and create the future.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://librarysciencedegree.usc.edu/resources/infographics/dr-s-r-ranganathans-five-laws-of-library-science|title=Dr. S.R. Ranganathan's five laws of library science|date=n.d.|website=MMLIS blog|publisher=[[University of Southern California]]|access-date=27 February 2020|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018232339/https://librarysciencedegree.usc.edu/blog/dr-s-r-ranganathans-five-laws-of-library-science/|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref>

Gorman repeated these laws in Chapter 1 of his book ''Future Libraries: Dreams, Madness, & Realities'', which was co-written by [[Walt Crawford]], and in ''Our Singular Strengths: Meditations for Librarians.''{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

In 2004, librarian Alireza Noruzi recommended the application of Ranganathan's laws to the [[World Wide Web|Web]]:

#Web resources are for use.
#Every user has his or her web resource.
#Every web resource its user.
#Save the time of the user.
#The Web is a growing organism.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Noruzi|first=Alireza|title=Application of Ranganathan's laws to the web|journal=Webology|volume=1|issue=2|date=December 2004|url=http://www.webology.org/2004/v1n2/a8.html|access-date=27 February 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503113920/https://www.webology.org/2004/v1n2/a8.html|archive-date=3 May 2020}}</ref>

In 2008, librarian Carol Simpson recommended the following edits to Ranganathan's laws to reflect the richness of media:

#Media are for use.
#Every patron his information.
#Every medium its user.
#Save the time of the patron.
#The library is a growing organism.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Simpson|first=Carol|title=Editor's notes: Five laws|journal=Library Media Connection|volume=26|issue=7|page=6|date=April–May 2008|url=http://www.carolsimpson.com/5laws.pdf|access-date=27 February 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829132353/http://www.carolsimpson.com/5laws.pdf|archive-date=29 August 2018}}</ref>

In 2016, Dr. Achala Munigal recommended the following edits to Ranganathan's laws due to the introduction and application of social tools in libraries:

# Social Media is for use – increasingly in libraries by librarians.
# Every user his or her Social Tool.
# Every Social Tool its user.
# Save time of user by providing information he or she seeks using the social tool he or she is familiar with.
# 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.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Munigal|first=A.|title=124th jayanthi sandharbanga: Grandhalaya tapsvi ranganathanku niwali|trans-title= |journal=Granthalaya Sarvasvam|pages=4–7|issn=0972-8104}}</ref>

In 2019, Basheerhamad Shadrach proposed the Five Laws of Knowledge, adapted from those of Ranganathan:

#Knowledge is for use in ''all'' forms.
#"Every citizen" has the right to access ''all'' forms of knowledge.
#Every knowledge [''sic''] is for access by ''all'' without discrimination of any kind.
#Save the time of ''all'' knowledge seekers.
#A knowledge system is one that evolves with time to achieve all of the above laws.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shadrach|first=Basheerhamad|title=S R Ranganathan's five laws of library science: A foundation for democratising knowledge|journal=Informatics Studies|volume=6|issue=2|pages=33–36|date=April–June 2019|url=https://www.academia.edu/43587107|access-date=26 May 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|last=Aspe|first=Ron|title=Do the original 5 Laws of Library Science hold Up in a digital world?|website=Lucidea|date=9 September 2016|url=https://lucidea.com/blog/do-the-original-5-laws-of-library-science-hold-up-in-a-digital-world|access-date=24 January 2022}}
* {{cite book|last1=Connaway|first1=Lynn Silipigni|last2=Faniel|first2= Ixchel M.|title=Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting user behaviors, shifting priorities|publisher=OCLC Research|date=2014|url=https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2014/oclcresearch-reordering-ranganathan-2014.pdf}}
* {{cite book|last1=Crawford|first1=Walt|last2=Gorman|first2=Michael|title=Future libraries: Dreams, madness, & reality|publisher=[[American Library Association]]|date=1995|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z-ppP1e8BlUC |isbn=9780838906477}}
* {{cite book|last=Gorman|first=Michael|title=Our singular strengths: Meditations for librarians|publisher=[[American Library Association]]|date=1998|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3RJEUDlKoUC |isbn=9780838907245}}

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[[Category:Library science]]
[[Category:Information science]]
[[Category:Librarianship and human rights]]
[[Category:Codes of conduct]]
[[Category:1931 documents]]