(Title comes from Raganathan’s The Five Laws of Library Science page 35.)
S.R. Raganathan was a trained mathematician and teacher in the Indian education system when he came to University College, London in 1924 to train as a librarian for a position he had been offered at the University of Madras. When he returned to India in 1925, he ran the library at the University of Madras until 1944, when he took a position 
as librarian and professor at Hindu University until 1947. From 1947 to 1954, Raganathan researched in Zurich, and then, again, returned to his home country where he took several other academic positions before founding and running the Documentation Research and Training Center from 1962 to 1965. Along with the title “Father of Library Science in India,” Raganathan also founded the Colon Classification system in the 1930s. This classification system was first implemented by Raganathan at the University of Madras and is still used at research libraries around the world. The Document Research and Training Center he founded in 1962 has developed into one of the premiere research institutions in India, specifically in regards to its postgraduate programs in library and information sciences.
W.C. Berwick Sayers, the Chief Librarian of the Croydon Public Libraries at the time of Raganathan’s original publication of The Five Laws of Library System, provided the introduction for the man’s seminal work. Sayers had at least 94 publications in his lifetime, gave outstanding attention to children’s services, and specialized in classification systems, which made Raganathan of particular interest to him. Raganathan’s time spent studying in Sayer’s library also made the man important to him. 
In Part I of the Introduction, Sayer seems awed by Raganathan’s accomplishments based on his race, but attests to the unique position of superiority he was capable of claiming due to the experiences he seized. This tone, given the time the book was originally published and the state of British-Indian affairs is unsurprising, but such a tone being taken in the introduction of the man’s book did take me off guard for a moment. Sayer speaks highly of the work contained in the value, believing that the laws have come about as a result of professionalization. He warns that “it must be clear, however, that universal rules or notions must always be given a local and individual application” (Sayer in Raganathan, xix). While the rules set out in this volume are supposedly universal, Raganathan goes on throughout to tailor these laws to the needs of the library sciences in India. Sayer concludes his introduction, giving way to Raganathan’s work by making this distinction of tailoring, although he admits he does not understand the needs of India’s libraries.
The First Law of Library Science is “BOOKS ARE FOR USE” (Raganathan, 1). While it is clearly stated that, like many professional laws, this law should be easily understood, Raganathan takes the first 73 pages of his volume to explain in detail what use means, and how this has changed throughout the time of library science. References to the “First Law” and the specific statement “BOOKS ARE FOR USE” appear 99 times throughout the first chapter, or approximately 1.4 times a page. This repetition to almost excess seems intentional, but needed, as if the reader takes nothing else from chapter one, they will know the first law. He states that the first law has not always been clear though, as originally books were for preservation, and such notions have been hard to break. Yet, Raganathan believes that the steps toward modern libraries will break these patterns. Essentially, he feels that libraries need to break the chains of the shelves and free the books to the readers, because books are no longer rare. He goes further to state one of the downfalls of India’s library systems is that they have a hard time accepting “the hands of readers as the proper place to books,” but this call to action throughout the volume is meant to change these long-held ideas (Raganathan, 4).
To be the most effective, Raganathan had many things to say about the state of libraries and the people one finds within their walls. Libraries must be placed where the people are to enhance access and encourage learning. Libraries should be open as long as possible, as the extra cost of operation is worth the investment. Raganathan tells a story of his year at University College, London, where each member of his class had a key to the departmental library to come and go as they needed and not be brought down by the constraints of library hours. In a library where preservation is taken over use, reader comfort and space is not considered, but this must change. A mock dialogue between the First Law, the Rule of Least Space, and the Rule of Least Cost rationalizes opening the libraries to the public, declaring the investment economically wise, but leaves off for a later discussion with the Third Law.
The space is held as important, but the staff of a library must also be considered. Raganathan suggests doing away with the outdated system of garnering library keepers, as preservation is no longer the key. Proper use of a library can only be attained through individuals that are properly trained to meet the needs of the reader. Librarians should be full-time, trained members and their staff should have some scrutiny in considering them. Librarians need to be jacks of all trades (in the form of vast knowledge) with the zeal to continue learning. Libraries as institutions would be better off to invest in educated staffs. Raganathan holds that with the law of library science established, a new profession has been born, and, therefore, librarians must be trained. Salaries must show the new position of these trained librarians, or their perceived status will not change. The vast knowledge a library must have is the responsibility of the librarian, as educating oneself will further the first law. “A modern library cannot exist without readers,” so the librarian’s task is really all about customer service (Raganathan, 61). While not professionally trained psychologists, a librarian’s experience will teach them the ways of human nature, making them better suited to address the needs of patrons. William S. Learned, a prominent librarian in the American library systems, stated that a library should essentially be a “community intelligence service” if created properly (Learned in Raganathan, 69). Yet, all these aspects do not matter is a librarian is not dedicated to social service.
Essentially, the first law is established to garner a new type of library that Raganathan has seen develop in his time in Great Britain and his understanding of libraries in the United States. The first law and its complete development for use, Raganathan seems to postulate, will place India and its approach to libraries on the maps with those that have made it to the cusp of library science development. A dedication to social service can garner Learned’s “community intelligence service” to properly serve the community so it can serve itself (Raganathan, 69). The complete acceptance of the law “BOOKS ARE FOR USE” is the first step to a revolution in the library. Without a firm grasp and understanding of the First Law, the remaining laws of library science mean nothing.
Raven K 
I have to say that initially the law “Books are for use” did seem almost painfully obvious to me. It really helps to read your background research and to understand more of the context in which Ranganathan developed this law. I wasn’t aware that the prior tradition had been much more toward preservation. In that light, great and interesting inclusion of the photograph of the books chained to the shelf! I guess this law was not nearly as obvious to individuals in India (or perhaps much of the library world) as I assumed. I applaud you for going to the effort of counting the number of times he includes the phrase “books are for use” in the first chapter. He certainly does hammer it home.
Additionally, it’s interesting to know that he was also committed to the idea of librarians focusing on customer service based on libraries being nothing without the readers. Certainly, businesses throughout the world restate this idea many times over that they are nothing without their customers, which leads to such a focus on the statement “the customer is always right.” It seems library scholars have been mentioning customer service in some form or other for over a century, but it’s still something that many librarians need to work on.
LikeLike