13 Aug 2022  |   07:18am IST

Observing National Librarian’s Day

National Librarian’s Day is celebrated every year on August 12, the birth anniversary of Dr S R Ranganathan, for his contribution to library science. In Goa too, the day was marked by paying respects to the Father of Library Science

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ational Librarian’s Day is celebrated on August 12 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Padmashri Dr Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan (1892- 1972), a librarian and mathematician, considered the father of library science, documentation, and information science in India and is also widely known throughout the rest of the world for his contributions to the field. Dr Ranganathan dedicated his entire life to the library profession in India, leaving a rich legacy behind. His most notable contribution was the five laws of library science and the development of the first major faceted classification system, the Colon Classification.

“In this journey of life, librarians are like our ancestors whose guidance we follow in order to continue our journey, so that the road we travel becomes straighter and straighter,” says Dr Sandesh Dessai, Librarian at Goa University, Dona Paula.

Colon Classification System of library organization is general rather than specific in nature, and it can create complex or new categories through the use of facets, or colons. The category of dental surgery, for example, symbolized as L 214:4:7, is created by combining the letter L for medicine, the number 214 for teeth, the number 4 for diseases, and the number 7 for surgery. In Colon Classification, there are 108 main classes (previously 33) and 10 generalized classes (broadly divided between the humanities and sciences), which are represented by a mixed notation of Arabic numerals and Roman and Greek letters. Each main class comprises five fundamental facets, or groups: personality, matter, energy, space, and time. Ranganathan’s main contribution to classification was the notion of these fundamental facets, or categories.

Tiatr Academy of Goa librarian, Mansi Mahendra Bandodkar says, “We celebrate National Library Day irrespective of cast, creed or religion.” She further adds, “If you read, you will survive, because reading can help improve yourself. The one who reads gains knowledge, improves their vocabulary and understands new concepts.”

Marianita Paiva, Senior Librarian at Goa State Central Library, Panjim, says, “Technology will never replace a book. There’s nothing like reading a book, the pleasure of flipping through pages. For college students, books are important for research citations”. She further adds, “Books do not strain the eyes the way reading from digital screens do and they help in improving concentration.”

Bookworm is a library based organization in Goa with a vision to inspire and develop a love for reading as a way of life, nurturing humane engagement in everyone. “We believe that a library is a mirror and window for children across all age groups where it opens out a whole new world of possibilities and should and must be accessible to all, across all communities without discrimination,” says Malcom Braganza, a member of the Bookworm Trust, Fontainhas.