Dr. S. R. Ranganathan
M.A., D.Litt., L.T., F.L.A.
National Research Professor in Library Science
Preserved Original Asset
This authentic photograph and tribute has been preserved directly from the original foundation archives of JALIS.
The Five Laws of Library Science
Dr. Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan (9 August 1892 – 27 September 1972) was a mathematician and librarian from India. His most notable contributions to the field were his five laws of library science and the development of the first major analytico-synthetic classification system, the Colon Classification. He is widely considered to be the father of library science, documentation, and information science in India and is widely recognized across the academic world for his fundamental thinking.
Books are not meant to be chained, hidden, or treated merely as physical artifacts, but mobilized and read actively to enrich human potential.
Libraries and information systems must serve every segment of society without bias, catering specifically to the informational needs of all users.
Through effective indexing, open access, intelligent discovery, and classification, every scholarly resource will connect with the person who needs it.
Rapid search, structured retrieval, intuitive library automation, and frictionless discovery systems are vital to optimizing researcher time.
Information entities, collections, metadata, physical infrastructures, and digital repositories continually expand, adapt, and evolve.
Guiding JALIS into the 21st Century
These timeless principles form the philosophical cornerstone of The Journal of Advances in Library and Information Science. As modern information environments transition to cloud repositories, artificial intelligence, and open access digital science, JALIS remains steadfast in disseminating scholarly discoveries that fulfill Dr. Ranganathan's vision for open, organized, and democratic knowledge access for all.
