Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviors, Shifting Priorities

Megan Pinheiro da Silva

Connaway, Lynn Silipigni, and Ixchel M. Faniel. 2014. Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviors, Shifting Priorities. Dublin, OH: OCLC Research.  http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2014/oclcresearch-reordering-ranganathan-2014.pdf

Summary

Connaway and Faniel’s OCLC Research Report is written for academic librarians who face unique challenges and opportunities in working with university researchers—faculty and students—who need different kinds of library services, particularly in the area of data collection and management. The authors devote a chapter to each of S. R. Ranganathan’s 5 Laws of Library Science. The introduction, “Same Laws, New Lens.” gives the historical context of the laws and posit that the laws are still very much relevant today. Each proceeding chapter focuses on one law giving its background context, their interpretation of the law, and its application in today’s information services. Connaway and Faniel place the 4^th law—save the time of the reader—1^st as they argue that time is the most precious commodity for the user today. Connaway and Faniel interpret save time of the reader to mean, “embed library systems and services into users’ existing workflows” (p. 105). The reason given for this interpretation is that users have relocated their information activity to the Internet. Convenience is included in saving time. The 2^nd law--every person his or her book the authors reinterpret as to be “know your community and its needs”. The 2^nd law is about accessing the content; if you cannot find what you need, saving time is useless. The 3^rd and 4^th laws-–books are for use and every book its reader—are about developing the infrastructure to deliver the materials and increasing the discoverability/use of those resources within the users’ workflow. The 5^th law—a library is a growing organism—is the only law that is not reinterpreted, as it remains true in a literal and figurative sense. The ultimate goal of this resource is to help libraries and librarians “as they think about making changes in practice and developing an agenda for future research” (p. 105).

Evaluation

This report is well worth the time it takes to read it. It has helped me to understand collection/connection development in the context of the current shift in user behavior to Web-based information services. It also confirms my belief that librarians who acknowledge users’ information preferences, reach out to patrons to better understand their needs and frustrations, and who are willing to bring resources to where it is most convenient for the user, are needed more than ever. Librarianship is growing more and more complex and time continues to become scarcer and scarcer it seems. Connaway and Faniel address complexities in the field that I had never imagined—such as library systems that are complicated even for researchers to use—with an authority and compassion that comes from understanding library systems, research, and user needs. But the icing on the cake is their reinterpretation of Ranganathan’s 5 Laws of Library Science (1931) which bring all the complexity back to the basics: all our services, systems, collections, should facilitate the access and use of information for our patrons.