Nahtanagran’s laws of modern library science

Typed into Arcturus while waiting for software to build

Ranganathan’s laws are seminal to library science and the practice of libraries. Far too many librarians have forgotten them. They should recite them at the start of each day.

These laws are:

1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader his [or her] book.
3. Every book its reader.
4. Save the time of the reader.
5. The library is a growing organism.

Part of the issue is that Ranganathan uses the word “book”. This can be misleading today. So let’s translate “book” to “something that a reader might want to get information from”. Read “journal”, “ethesis”, “video”, etc. I am sure we can do better later. Never use the word “enduser”.

But here is an encouraging start for how libraries are changing to modify their practices in the C21. It’s been formulated by another scholar of library science, Nahtanagran. I don’t think the two ever met:

1. Books are for selling.
2. Every purchaser his [or her] books.
3. Every book its purchasers.
4. Make money for the seller.
5. The seller is a growing organism.