Five Laws of Library Science

Five principles formulated by S. R. Ranganathan: books are for use; every reader has a book; every book has a reader; save the reader’s time; and the library is a growing organism.

Open Access: A publishing and access model that makes scholarly works available online without subscription barriers. The first law favors removing barriers that keep books from being used.
S. R. Ranganathan: An Indian mathematician and librarian who developed influential theories of library classification and service. He formulated the five laws from his work in librarianship.
Library: An organized institution or service that provides access to information resources and related services. The fifth law treats the library as an evolving institution rather than a fixed storehouse.
Michael Gorman's Five New Laws of Librarianship: A set of principles proposed by librarian Michael Gorman to address contemporary librarianship. Gorman recasts Ranganathan’s framework around service, technology, and professional responsibility.
Library Classification: A system for arranging library materials by subject to support discovery and retrieval. Classification helps readers locate relevant works and saves their time.
Madras University Library: The university library in Chennai where Ranganathan served as librarian from 1924 to 1944. His practical experience there informed his thinking about library service and organization.
Reader (library science): A person who uses library resources and services for information, learning, or enjoyment. The second, third, and fourth laws place readers at the center of library service.
Library 2.0: A model of library service emphasizing participation, adaptation, and interactive technologies. Its emphasis on ongoing change updates the laws’ image of the library as a growing organism.
Readers' Advisory: A library service that helps people find books suited to their interests and needs. It puts the second law into practice by connecting readers with books.
Colon Classification: A faceted classification system devised by Ranganathan and first published in 1933. Ranganathan developed this classification system alongside his broader library principles.

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Faceted classificationRelated: They express the user-centered library philosophy that informed Ranganathan’s classification work.