The Reader-User-Patron Variants

Variations of the 5 Laws of Library Science, 1931-2008

The future of libraries is undefined and therefore the potential to reinterpret them is virtually unlimited.  I found it interesting that even within the field of library science since 1931, there has been a stated acknowledgement that books, readers, and libraries are in fact evolving.  In 1931, Dr. Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan (1892–1972) published the 5 Laws of Library Science (listed above).  While there is no need to go into the details of each step here, it does seem useful to look at the components of his Laws: books, readers, and libraries.  These laws have been largely embraced by the library professions since their publication and have been modified as the nature of information and its means of delivery have changed.  Later variations (also listed above) show how our perspectives regarding books and readers have changed---they have morphed into media/information and patrons.  Notably, the third component has remained a physical library despite a brief flirtation with its virtual alternative, the Web.

Ramamrita’s ideas on data delivery, storage, and access are interesting and have become fairly orthodox ways of thinking within the field of information science (partially due to the fact that his framework is open-ended and upgradeable within a changing data landscape).  They may provide and interesting point of departure for our discussions about the library’s program and physical form.