QUESTION
Identify which one of the Five Laws of Library Science that Ranganathan remarked as ‘trivial truism’ in his writing “Library Science and Scientific Method”
OPTIONS
(1) First Law
(2) Second Law
(3) Third Law
(4) Fifth Law
ANSWER
(1) First Law
First Law - Books are for Use is the ones of the Five Laws of Library Science that Ranganathan remarked as ‘trivial truism’ in his writing “Library Science and Scientific Method”
FIRST LAW: BOOKS ARE FOR USE
A book is a guide, a friend, and a philosopher. A writer writes a book to communicate his thoughts. The primary purpose of writing, therefore, is that the thought it contains should be communicated. To do so it is necessary to put the books for use. The first law, therefore, truly demands that all efforts should be made to ensure that all the books kept in the library are used because it is created for use. The first law "Books are for use" places emphasis on the use of books rather than storage. Books were once kept in closed access in order to prevent theft, but this discouraged free use and prevented loaning. The first law of library science "books are for use" means that books in libraries are not meant to be shut away from its users.
The first law constitutes the basis for library services. Dr. Ranganathan observed that books were often chained to prevent their removal and that the emphasis was on storage and preservation rather than use. He did not reject the notion that preservation and storage were important, but he asserted that the purpose of such activities was to promote use. Without user access to materials, there is little value in these items. By emphasizing use, Dr. Ranganathan refocused the attention of the field to access-related issues, such as the library's location, loan policies, hours and days of operation, as well as the quality of staffing and mundane matters like library furniture, temperature control, and lighting.
First Law - Books are for Use is the ones of the Five Laws of Library Science that Ranganathan remarked as ‘trivial truism’ in his writing “Library Science and Scientific Method.”⁷ Trivial Truism refers to a statement of little value or importance that is obviously true and says nothing new or interesting. So here Dr. S. R. Rangangathan means to say that the First Law - Books are for Use is obviously true and understood. Ranganathan says in this work:
First Law - Books are for Use is the ones of the Five Laws of Library Science that Ranganathan remarked as ‘trivial truism’ in his writing “Library Science and Scientific Method.”⁷ Trivial Truism refers to a statement of little value or importance that is obviously true and says nothing new or interesting. So here Dr. S. R. Rangangathan means to say that the First Law - Books are for Use is obviously true and understood. Ranganathan says in this work:
Before dealing with these factors, a word should be said about the remark that the First Law - Books are for Use - is a trivial truism. The first law of most of the science is equally so. For example, Newton’s first law of motion reads, “Every body preserves in its state of rest unless it is compelled to change that state by impressed forces.” Is this not a truism?
NOTE
- This question was asked in the examination UGC NET in Library and Information Science in July 2018 in India. National Eligibility Test (NET), also known as NTA UGC NET, is an exam for determining the eligibility of Indian nationals for the eligibility for Assistant Professor only or Junior Research Fellowship & Eligibility for Assistant Professor both in Library and Information Science in Indian universities and colleges.
REFERENCES
1. S. R. Ranganathan. Library Science and Scientific Method. http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/28515/1/ALIS%204%281%29%2019-32.pdf
FEEDBACK
- Help us improve this Library and Information Science quiz article! Contact us with your feedback. You can use the comments section below, or reach us on social media.
