Laws of Library Science

I thought these were interesting as I came across them in my library science course reading.

The original Laws of Library Science as espoused by S.R. Ranganathan (1931):

  1. Books are for all; every reader is a book.
  2. Every book its reader.
  3. Save the time of the reader.
  4. Books are for use – they are not trophies.
  5. A library is a growing organism; it is a dynamic, not a static, endeavor.

Their revision in the mid 1980’s by the American Library Association:

  1. Libraries serve humanity.
  2. Respect all forms by which information and knowledge is communicated.
  3. Use technology intelligently to enhance service.
  4. Protect and insure free access to information and knowledge.
  5. Honor the past and create the future.

4 thoughts on “Laws of Library Science

  1. When I think of trophy books, I think of really old classic books (like first editions of old books). I have several, thanks to my dad: a complete set of Carlye's collected works (circa 1930) and a complete set of The World's Greatest Literature (circa 1920). Other than that, I don't own any I would consider trophy books.



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