Foundations of Librarianship Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan Contributions in the Field of Library Science Submitted By: Lucinda D. Mazza 3/14/2009
Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan was considered to be "one of the few philosophers of librarianship [with] contributions in library administration, education, literature and classification and theory "(Moritz, 1965, p 328). His contributions and influence on the core principles of the field of library science are diverse and his classic philosophy transcend generations of library science students and the libraries they work in. Born in Shiyali, Madras, India on August 12, 1892, Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan was the oldest of three children. Graduating from the Hindu High School in Shiyali in 1908, Ranganathan went to college at the Christian College in Madras earning both a B.A. and Masters in mathematics. In 1917 he earned a degree in education from Teachers College in Saidapet. In 1924 he was offered the newly created position of Librarian of the University of Madras. Moritz (1965) indicated that he accepted the position "influenced by his conviction that library service can reach every member of the community and that it can promote individual as well as social betterment" (p. 329). Upon taking the job, he went to Great Britain and earned an honors certificate in library science from the School of Librarianship at the University of London in 1925. While in England he "discovered a social mission for the library profession and for himself" (Cochrane, 2002, p. 831). Upon returning to Madras, Cochrane (2002) stated that Ranganathan started to reorganize the University library, using the 60,000 book collection, to "attract more readers to the library and provide facilities for them" (p.832). Cochrane (2002) also stated: Lucinda D. Mazza 2
Ranganathan took it upon himself to educate the public on the benefits of reading. Within the library he introduced the open shelf system and the active reference service. He designed a functional library building and developed principles of library management that expressed his philosophy of service. (p. 831) While studying in England he met W. C. Berwick Sayers who taught library classification. Ranganathan studies revealed to him that there were "inadequacies in the Dewey Decimal Classification System" (Moritz, 1965, p. 329). In 1933 Ranganathan published his Colon Classification a "new system for the organization of knowledge [and in] 1934 he drafted a new catalog code, the Classified Catalogue Code"(Moritz, 1965 p. 329). Unlike the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classifications Moritz (1965) stated Ranganathan's: Classification consists of thirty-three main classes and 10 generalia classes, divided between the sciences and the humanities. It's faceted notation is based on the various facets of a subject and the system is called the Colon Classification because he used the colon punctuation mark as a facet indicator. (p. 330) The Colon Classification was used successfully by the British National Bibliography and was influential on "modern revisions to the Dewey Decimal Classification scheme [and] the PRECIS subject heading system" (Gorman, 1980, p. 203). Ranganathan also had an interest in the field of education for librarianship. He first started teaching a course in library science at the University of Madras in 1929 and continued to teach at numerous universities until 1959. In 1962 he became "the president and head of the Documentation Research and Training Centre in Bangalore, which he founded" (Moritz, Lucinda D. Mazza 3
1965, p. 330). In the summer of 1964 Ranganathan came to the United States and taught a summer session as a visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh. During that same year he presented "his system of classification at a Rutgers University Seminar on the Intellectual Organization of Information" (Moritz, 1965, p. 330). In March, 1965, "the government of India appointed him national research professor in library science" (Moritz, 1965, p. 330). A prolific writer, Ranganathan wrote more than "sixty books and two thousand articles" (Cochrane, 2002, p. 831). He covered every aspect of librarianship, "from the simplest clerical library routines to its philosophy and theory" (Moritz, 1965, p. 330). One of his most influential writings was the Five Laws of Library Science. "The laws are the best summary of what libraries are, or should be, about." (Gorman, 1980, p. 203) These laws, although written back in 1931, are still relevant as one of the "essential principles to define a library's function and purpose" (Ranganathan, 1931, as cited in Rimland, 2007). Ranganathan's five laws are: 1. Books are for use; books should be made available for anyone that wants to use them. 2. To every reader his or her book; patrons cannot purchase all the books that they want or need, libraries fill that void. 3. To every book its reader; this law is all about connections, assisting the patron by providing pathways to the information and books that they need. 4. Save the time of the reader; as librarians we must always be looking for ways to save time for our patrons. 5. The library is a growing organism; libraries are and should always be broadening and expanding their collections and resources. Lucinda D. Mazza 4
Throughout his lifetime, Moritz (1965) stated that Ranganathan was "active in regional, national and international professional library associations" (p. 331). He was the recipient of many international honors, holding "honorary degrees from the University of Delhi and from the University of Pittsburgh" (p. 331). Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan died on September 27, 1972 in Bangalore, Mysore, India. This excerpt from an address delivered by Ranganathan at an "international study conference on classification research at Elsinore, Denmark, in 1964" (Cochrane, 2002, p. 833) captures his philosophy of Library Science, wisdom that will continue to guide us into the future. Man has been reaching for one ideal for a long, long time - the ideal of "One World." Our discipline [of library science] brings us nearer to that much desired and much sought concept of "One World."...We know no cultural boundaries, no political boundaries, and no economic boundaries. We freely share ideas with one another. We believe that we find in everybody an identity...the barriers melt away. We are prepared to think together without any reserve. (Atherton, 1965 as cited in Atherton, 2002) Lucinda D. Mazza 5
References Cochrane, Pauline Atherton. (2002). Ranganathan, Shiyali Ramamrita (1892-1972). Encyclopedia of Communication and Information, Vol. 3. (831-833). New York: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved March 11, 2009, from Gale Virtual Reference Library Gorman, Michael. (1980, April). Let Us Now Praise...[Electronic version]. American Libraries, 11(4), 201-203. Retrieved March 11, 2009, from Education Research Complete database. Moritz, Charles (Ed.). (1965). Ranganathan, Shiyali Ramamrita. Current Biography Yearbook. (pp. 328-331). New York: The H. W. Wilson Company. Rimland, Emily. (2007, Summer). Ranganathan's relevant rules [Electronic version]. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 46(4), 24-26. Retrieved March 11, 2009 from Education Research Complete database. Lucinda D. Mazza 6