28/11/2017
Dr. S. R. RANGANATHAN (Father of Library Science)
Ranganathan, born on 9-August 1892 to Ramamrita, in Tanjore in British-Ruled India. He was born in the small town of shiyali (now known as Sirkazhi), in the state of Tamilnadu in southern India.
Ranganathan began his professional life as a Mathematician, he earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Mathematics from Madras Christian College in his home province, and then went on to earn a teaching license. His lifelong goal was to teach Mathematics, and he was successively a member of the Mathematics faculties at Universities in Mangalore, Coimbatore and Madras (all within the span of five years). As a Mathematics processor, he published a handful of papers, mostly on the history of Mathematics. His career as a educator was somewhat hindered of stammering (a difficulty Ranganathan gradually overcame in his professional life)
He was a university librarian and Professor of Library Science at Benares Hindu University (1945-47) and Professor of Library Science at the University of Delhi (1947-55). The last appointment made him Director of the first Indian School of Librarianship to offer higher degrees. He was President of the Indian Library Association from 1944-1953. In 1957 he was elected as an honorary member of the International Federation for Information and Documentation(FID) and was made a Vice President for life of the Library Association of Great Britain.
Five laws of Library Science, Colan classification system and proval with Dewel Decimal classification, are his three main of contributions to the library Science. In his life time itself his autobiography was published with the title of “ A Librarian Looks Back”.
He was rewarded “Padmasri” award in the year 1957 by the Indian Government for his contribution to the Library Science.
