S.R Ranganathan

S.R Ranganathan
Painting by Mr. A Ramakrishna
ART Teacher, KV No.2 Vijayawada

Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan is considered as the Father of Library Science in India.

Ranganathan's major contributions to library science were in classification and indexing theory. His Colon Classification (1933) introduced a system that is widely used in research libraries around the world.   His Five Laws of Library Science (1931) was widely accepted as a definitive statement of the ideal of library service. He also drafted plans for a national and several state library systems, founded and edited several journals, and was active in numerous professional associations.

Ranganathan was born in Shiyali in Tanjavoor District of Tamil Nadu on 9th August 1892.

In 1962 he founded and became head of the Documentation Research and Training Centre in Bangalore, with which he remained associated for the rest of his life, and in 1965 he was honoured by the Indian government with the title of national research professor in library science.

He died on September 27, 1972.

How to select good books!

The cover of the book is the first to check. Looks good? But remember – a book cannot be judged only by its cover.

Go through the summary given on the back cover or inside flap. Does the book sound like something you would enjoy?

Skim the text, specially look for illustrations. Good pictures will help you understand the topic better for non-fiction books and it will be an added attraction for stories and novels. Here your age also matters!

Check the New Arrivals Rack in the library or the bookstore.

Look on the recently returned bookshelf. You will get some good choices. It's a good guest that the books taken by someone else may be a good one.

Get suggestions from your librarian, who would be glad to help you and may be knowing your likes and dislikes!

Ask the recommendations of your friends and ofcourse, discuss the books you have read.

Your teachers are the best sources. Read the books they might have discussed in the class.

Check the credentials of the authors. If you liked a book by an author, most probably you would like his other works too!

Go for books published by well-known publishers. They select their books and authors judiciously. So you can rely on them.

Browse through the library shelves. Something will catch your eye.

Read the book reviews on Newspaper, Magazines and Internet.

A Word of Caution

"No good book, or good thing of any kind, shows its best face at first"

- Carlyle

So, do not judge a book by reading just the first few pages.