Autobiography of Dr S R Rangananthan

(Father of Library Science)

Early Action of Rangananthan:

Dr. Ranganathan was built-in in a poor Brahmin ancestors at Shiyali apple in Tanjore commune in Tamil Nadu on August 9, 1892. He was the earlier adolescent of N. Ramamrita Ayyar, a petty landlord, and his wife Sitalakshmi. His ancestor died in 1898 at the aboriginal age of thirty, due to illness. He suffered from added than the accustomed allocation of adolescence diseases and was bedridden by a astringent falter that he assuredly over came by banishment himself to accord speeches in public." He abounding the bounded S. Mudaliar Hindu Top Academy in Shiyali and anesthetized his top academy assay in 1908, accepting a aboriginal division. Ranganathan anesthetized his Intermediate and B.A. examinations in aboriginal chic as well, appropriately proving that he was a ablaze apprentice through out his academy years. He accustomed his B.A. amount in Mathematics and Physics in 1913 from the University of Madras. Ranganathan absitively not to appear alum academy because his mother's banking position was not actual sound. Professor Edward B. Ross, one of his advisers at Christian College, knew that Ranganathan was a harder alive and ablaze apprentice and he accordingly absitively to pay Ranganathan's allegation for his alum studies. Appropriately Ranganathan abutting the Master's affairs in June 1913 as the alone alum apprentice of Professor Edward B. Ross; he accelerating in 1916." He was abundant absorbed in teaching and abutting the Agents Academy at Saidapat for his Able Apprenticeship Amount and accustomed his amount in 1917.

In 1917 Ranganathan was appointed abettor academician in Mathematics at the Government Academy in Mangalore. In 1920-21, he accomplished at Government College, Coimbatore, and in 1921 he was appointed Abettor Professor at the Presidency College. Madras, area he accomplished for two years, during his teaching years in these institutions, he accomplished mathematics and physics and encouraged his acceptance to use library books. Appropriately he abhorred "the accustomed awful teacher-centered and notes/ dictation classroom methods. Later he alleged his admission library centered teaching his acceptance alleged him a built-in teacher."

1924 was a actual acute year in Ranganathan's life. He activated for the position of University Librarian at the University of Madras and was offered the position. "One of the altitude of his arrangement was that he goes to Abundant Britain to be accomplished in librarianship and to abstraction avant-garde library methods." Therefore, he had to adjudge amid librarianship and the teaching of mathematics. In his own words, "I had never dreamt in my action that I would anytime become a librarian; nor had I acclimated a library either at academy or at academy if I was a student, for the simple acumen that there was no library account advertence and for the added acumen that no abecedary anytime mentioned any book added than the assigned argument book. But it seems that he saw some claiming in librarianship and it "struck him as a abstinent acreage abundant with abounding possibilities" of advance and addition of new ideas. It was a acreage "where methods bare to be alike and fabricated exact." With this in apperception he accustomed the position and became a librarian on January 4, 1924. In this way "India absent one of her a lot of agog mathematics agents and librarianship acquired a man whose brainy admission was of a carefully accurate and mathematically exact nature."

Ranganathan as a Librarian, 1924-1972

In the beginning, Ranganathan did not adore his new authoritative position at the University of Madras and the change of his profession from leaching to librarianship. In his own words, "I acquainted abashed by the absence of annihilation worth-while to do in the library [and was] about tempted to go aback to my teaching work." He in actuality did acknowledgment to Presidency Academy aural a anniversary and told the arch that "I can't buck that aloof imprisonment day afterwards day. No animal being, except the staff. How altered from the action in the college" Mr. H.S. Duncan, Arch of the college, pacified Ranganathan by saying, "You accept not apparent abundant of librarianship yet, you may acquisition something in it afterwards you accept advised the accountable in London if you feel apathetic even afterwards you acknowledgment from England, I shall absolutely yield you. I shall see that your abode in the academy is not assuredly abounding up "till you appear aback from your biking and training abroad." Somehow, Ranganathan absitively to adjourn his accommodation and try librarianship for some time.

In September 1924 Ranganathan was beatific to England by the University of Madras for able training in librarianship. He accelerating with ceremoniousness from the Academy of Librarianship University of London, in 1925. While in London, he visited abounding bookish and accessible libraries and was afflicted with the development of libraries in England. During his apprentice days, he became; abutting to Professor W.C. Berwick Sayers, Chief Librarian of Croydon Accessible Library and a academician in the Academy of Librarianship. His acumen and affection put Ranganathan in debt to British librarianship for the blow of his life. At that time, Ranganathan apparently would never accept dreamed that some day he would become an all-embracing amount in librarianship. Ranganathan "had advised to appointment libraries in the United States afore abiding to India in 1925 but a alarm from the University of Madras induced him to go aback home."

Ranganathan became a able librarian and alternate to India, abounding of action and new account with the mission of introducing reforms and bringing about advance in his own library at the University of Madras. But abominably the profession of librarianship was still "not too able-bodied accepted in India at that time. He aswell encountered torpor, frustration, and a Jack of compassionate on the allotment of the university adminis¬tration."A awful placed apprenticeship administrator with the Accompaniment Government of Madras already beatific a agenda of advocacy to Ranganathan which said, "The bearer, you will find, is actual aged. He appeared for the S.S.L.C. assay added than a dozen times. There is no anticipation of his casual it in this life. How can he get even a clerk's post? But I am interest¬ed in him." So these were the altitude and atmosphere in the University of Madras Library in 1925. But Ranganathan adherent himself absolutely to bringing abundant bare reforms to the university library. He was "bubbling with new thought, throb¬bing with new energy, aerial with new concepts, abounding of action and abstention of purpose. He was, therefore, able to about-face a new blade to librarianship.

Ranganathan reorganized the Madras University Library application new accessories and techniques which he had learnt in England during his academy canicule in the library academy and by visiting abounding libraries in England. "He realised that librarianship was added than an art, it should be a science, depending on accurate adjustment for its admission to its problems and for their solution." One of Ranganathan's aboriginal accomplishments aloft his acknowledgment from England was to acquaint the accessible admission arrangement in the library in 1929. "The rules were progressively liberalized until any scholar, active anywhere in the state, could use the library and borrow from it. He auspiciously alien the inter-library accommodation arrangement in the city-limits of Madras and all libraries partici¬pated in this accommodating program." His capital affair was to allure added users to the university library and accommodate them able facilities. "He acclimated accumulation media and claimed acquaintances to accomplish the library hum with activity, and the University Library anon acquired a niche, in the apple of the aware accessible of Madras.

The anniversary account of the library was actual low if Ranganathan took its authoritative responsibility. But he approved the allegation for added funds and succeeded in accepting an anniversary admission of £5,000 on a approved base from the Government of Madras and a agglomeration sum of £20,000 to advance the collection. Under Ranganathan's administration, the University of Madras Library had "the better account of all the university libraries in the country." It helped to advance the accumulating from 30,000 volumes in 1925 to 120,000 in 1944, the year Ranganathan accommodated from his position. "The library hours were progressively continued until the library was kept accessible for thirteen hours a day, all the canicule of the year, include¬ing Sundays and added accessible holidays." Ranganathan alien a new account for alum students, "Delivery of books in the homes of readers," at a actual nominal charge. Abounding acceptance admired this and helped Ranganathan to accomplish abounding new accompany and library users. The library was aswell befuddled accessible to the accessible and the accessible admired it.

Ranganathan aswell alien a advertence account at Madras. Five advertence librarians served the adroitness and acceptance for all the hours the library was open. He was instru¬mental in founding the Madras Library Affiliation in 1928 and helped the accompaniment library affiliation to abound and become a baton in its own right. He was the Secretary of the accompaniment library affiliation from 1928-1953, Vice-President from 1953-1957, and Admiral from 1958-1967. He capital to advance librarian address and libraries in India and was of the assessment that library training be accustomed in India, rather than sending anybody to England. In 1929 he succeeded in introducing a training advance for librarians at Madras, with the advice of the Madras Library Association. In 1930, Ranganathan was fabricated a adolescent of the British Library Association.

Ranganathan was rapidly acceptable actual accepted and acknowledged in library circles. In 1931 he appear his apple acclaimed Five Laws of Library Science. In 1933 he alien his new Colon Classification Arrangement to the blow of the world, and in 1934 he drafted a new 'Classified Catalogue Code'. In 1933 he helped to begin the Indian Library Association, an alignment which became the accurate adumbrative of Indian librarianship. He was the aboriginal able librarian to become Admiral of the Affiliation in 1944. Ranganathan "also advised the actual anatomic University (of Madras) Library building, complete in a arresting place; and the accoutrement fabricated for the advance of the library accepted able for about 40 years. The British Indian Government accustomed and accepted the contributions of Ranganathan to the acreage of librarianship and conferred the appellation of Rao Sahib on him in January 1935."

Ranganathan was the University Librarian and Head of the Department of Library Science from 1924 to 1944. During these twenty years he "made the Madras University Library his class and per se the a lot of avant-garde library in India of which evens the foreigners acquainted envious." He accommodated from his position in 1944 due to some centralized problems with a few agents associates in the library. But Professor Isaac is of the appearance that "Dr. Ranganathan voluntarily retired from the University of Madras afterwards the minimum aeon of account of 20 years condoning for a alimony in adjustment to yield up the column of librarian in the Banaras Hindu University, on invitation. K. Nagaraja Rao, above librarian of the Annamalai University, is about of the appearance that "Dr. Ranganathan was asked to leave the Madras University Library. Because of these adverse statements, it has been difficult to actuate the absolute could cause of his abandonment from Madras. The annal of the University artlessly say that Dr. S.R. Ranganathan accommodated from his position in 1944. But had he been accursed from Madras University, I do not anticipate he would accept accustomed Rs. 100,000 to the University in 1957 for the development of library science. It has been said by a few Indian library educators and librarians, including Girja Kumar in his letter of November 22, 1982, that during the 1940s, "Ranganathan became the victim of the anti-Brahmin movement that advance far and advanced in Tamil Nadu." Accordingly he accommodated from his position at Madras University.

According to alone appeal of Dr. Radhakrishnan, the Vice-Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University he absitively to appear to Banaras University. He remained at Varanasi in 1945 to 1947 as the Head of the Department of Library Science and University Librarian. In this time Ranganthan drafted the abridgement and accomplished the Diploma Advance in Library Science. Dr. Rangananthan accommodated from Banaras Hindu University in 1947 and abutting the University of Delhi with appeal of Sri Maurice Gwyer, Vice- Chancellor of the Delhi University. In the aeon of the Ranganthan the Master's and Ph.D. programs in Library Science were started at the University of Delhi.

On March 7, 1948, in the present of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India and abounding added officers, Sri Maurice Gwyer accustomed to the Dr. Ranganthan "Father of Indian Library Science" and presented him to Governor General, Lord Mountbatten, Chancellor of the University of Delhi. In 1953 he organized Madras Library Associations, C.Rajagopalachari a above Governor-General of India compared to Pandit Nehru because Nehru had anchored for India in the all-embracing political apple and Dr.Ranganthan had anchored for India in the all-embracing library world. In 1955 Dr.Ranganthan accommodated from the University of Delhi. In 1957, Dr.Ranganthan was a visiting Professor of Library Science at Vikram University in Ujjain. He has awarded "Padma Shri" in 1957 by the admiral of India, backward Dr. Ranjendra Prasad in Delhi. In this year he was fabricated an Honorary Vice-President for action of the British Library Affiliation and an Honorary Adolescent of the All-embracing Federation for Documentation.

Ranganthan contributed his carrier in Indian Library Science from 1924 to 1972. If he was in age of 80, he was canyon abroad anatomy the earth, on September 27, 1972. We apart a abundant person, Ancestor of Library Science, the innovator of the Indian Library, the architect of Colon Classification and no one can accomplish this place.

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