Principles of Library Services

Principles of Library Services

Library services which involves, circulations, reference services, information literacy services, community information services, cataloguing and classification services, users services and the likes are geared towards ensuring users gets the best satisfaction from the library. According to L.R. Ranganathan there are 5 library rules that are geared towards ensuring that users’ information needs are met with the highest satisfaction of value. The principles are contained in his five laws of Library Science. These are:

        i.            Books are for use: This implies that the users should be considered before deciding to acquire information materials for the library. In today’s context, it is no more seen as books are for use but rather “Information Materials are for use”. This also implies that whatever library materials that have been acquired are to be made available and accessible for users to use. It means that unnecessary restriction of access to the library materials negates the purpose of the library.

      ii.            Every reader, his book: This principle emphasises the need for systematic organisation of library materials. It is only when materials are systematically organised that through cataloguing and classification that user can easily locate the item they need. Without proper cataloguing and classification, users would find it extremely difficult if not impossible to locate his books from the enormous information resources available in the library.

    iii.            Every book, its reader: The 3^rd Ranganathan law pose it that every book has its own specific reader. Information materials in the libraries are not available for everyone rather; they all have their specific readers. Every book its reader means that there is always a target audience assigned to every book.  From the mind of every author, the book has a target audience, these set of people would try everything possible to locate their book where it is placed in the library.

     iv.            Do not waste the time of the library user: The library exists and flourish when they are performing their service to the satisfaction of the users. The librarian must ensure that they do all possible best to make sure that satisfactory services are rendered to users without wasting their time. It is not in the habit of libraries to waste the time of her users, so the library officers must do everything possible to ensure that promote and adequate services are rendered and the time of the users are properly well managed.

       v.            The library is a growing organism: The library can only flourish when it is continuously updated with information resources. When a library stops acquiring information resource such a library cannot be said to be growing. It is expected that the library keeps growing and adapting to the changes in the modern world so as not to be outdated and loos its value.

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