Libraries in India I: Historical Development, Committees and Commissions; Types of Libraries; Library Legislation, the Press and Registration of Books Act and the Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act; and the Laws of Library Science
2. Committees and commissions on libraries in India
Several bodies after independence studied libraries and set the direction of policy. Education commissions also spoke to libraries: the University Education Commission (1948-49, chaired by S. Radhakrishnan) called the library the heart of the university, and the Education Commission (1964-66, chaired by D. S. Kothari) urged adequate library budgets and trained staff.
| Committee | Year and chair | Main recommendations |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory Committee for Libraries (Government of India) | 1957; K. P. Sinha | A national library system from the centre to the village; library legislation; free public library service |
| UGC Library Committee | 1957; S. R. Ranganathan | Standards for university and college libraries: staff, finance, buildings, open access |
| Working Group on Modernisation of Library Services and Informatics (Planning Commission) | 1983-84; N. Seshagiri | Computerisation and networking of libraries for the Seventh Plan, leading towards INFLIBNET and city networks |
| Committee on National Policy on Library and Information System | 1985-86; D. P. Chattopadhyaya | A national policy with a National Commission on Libraries, library legislation in every state and a network of libraries |
| UGC Curriculum Development Committee in LIS | 2001; C. R. Karisiddappa | A model curriculum for LIS courses at all levels |
| National Knowledge Commission | 2005-09; Sam Pitroda | National Commission on Libraries, census of libraries, LIS education reform (see Unit I) |
3. Types of libraries: academic, public, special and national
| Type | Users and purpose | Indian examples |
|---|---|---|
| Academic | Students, teachers and researchers of a school, college or university; supports teaching, learning and research | University libraries, IIT and IIM libraries, school libraries |
| Public | Everyone in a community, free of charge; education, information, culture and recreation | State central libraries, district and village libraries, Delhi Public Library |
| Special | A defined group in an organisation, in a subject or mission; in-depth, current information | CSIR laboratory libraries, DESIDOC, corporate and hospital libraries |
| National | The nation as a whole; collects and preserves the national imprint, compiles the national bibliography, leads the library system | National Library of India, Kolkata; national subject libraries such as the National Medical Library and the National Science Library |
A national library's functions are usually listed as acquiring the nation's publications through legal deposit, acquiring material about the country published abroad, preserving the collection for posterity, compiling the national bibliography and union catalogues, providing bibliographic and reference services, and acting as the centre of the national library network. In India the Indian National Bibliography, published since 1958, is compiled by the Central Reference Library, Kolkata, from the books received under legal deposit. Each type is treated again as a library and information system in Unit X.
4. Library legislation, the Press and Registration of Books Act and the Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act
Public libraries are a State List subject under the Constitution (entry 12 of List II covers libraries, museums and similar institutions controlled or financed by the State), so public library Acts are state laws. A public library Act typically establishes a state library authority and local library authorities, creates a library department, provides finance, often through a library cess added to property tax or a share of it, and sets up a network from the state central library to district, town and village libraries. Ranganathan drafted a model public library bill as early as 1930. The first such law in India was enacted in the princely state of Kolhapur (1945); the first by a province or state was the Madras Public Libraries Act 1948. Andhra Pradesh (1960), Karnataka (1965), Maharashtra (1967), West Bengal (1979) and Kerala (1989) are among the states that followed, and more have legislated since; counts and dates differ between sources, so learn these landmarks rather than a single total.
The Press and Registration of Books Act 1867 required every book printed in British India, and later in India, to carry the names of printer and publisher, required copies to be delivered to the government, and regulated the declaration and registration of newspapers through the Registrar of Newspapers for India. It has been repealed and replaced by the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act 2023, which came into force on 1 March 2024. The new Act deals with periodicals: it sets up a Press Registrar General and an online system for the registration of periodicals, simplifying the old multi-stage declaration process. This course does not state how the registration of books is now handled; learn that the 1867 Act has been repealed and that its successor is an Act about periodicals.
The Delivery of Books (Public Libraries) Act 1954 requires the publisher of every book published in India to deliver, at his own expense and within 30 days of publication, one copy to the National Library, Kolkata, and one copy to each of three other public libraries named by the central government. The Delivery of Books (Public Libraries) Amendment Act 1956 extended the Act to newspapers, giving it its present title, the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act. The four receiving libraries are the National Library, Kolkata; the Connemara Public Library, Chennai; the Central Library, Mumbai (housed in the Asiatic Society of Mumbai); and the Delhi Public Library. Books received by the National Library are the basis of the Indian National Bibliography.
5. The laws of library science
Ranganathan stated his five laws in The Five Laws of Library Science (1931). They are normative principles, not empirical laws: they say what a library ought to do, and every practice, from open access to classification, can be justified or criticised by them.
| Law | Meaning | Practices it implies |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Books are for use | Access, not hoarding, is the purpose of a library | Open access, convenient location and hours, abolition of chained books |
| 2. Every reader his or her book | Service for all, whatever their class, sex, age or ability | Book selection by user needs, public libraries, services for persons with disability |
| 3. Every book its reader | Each item should find the person who needs it | Open shelves, displays, catalogues with added entries, publicity |
| 4. Save the time of the reader | Efficiency in every service | Classification, good catalogues, reference service, quick circulation |
| 5. The library is a growing organism | Collections, users and staff keep growing and changing | Flexible buildings, hospitable classification, planning for growth, weeding |
Later writers have restated the laws for new conditions. Michael Gorman proposed five new laws (1995): libraries serve humanity; respect all forms by which knowledge is communicated; use technology intelligently to enhance service; protect free access to knowledge; and honour the past and create the future. Others have reworded the laws for the web ("web resources are for use"). Ranganathan himself used the fourth law as the reason for classification and catalogue work, and many writers add "save the time of the staff" as its corollary for library management.
Key takeaways
- India's library history runs from Nalanda's Dharmaganja through Mughal and court libraries to the Asiatic Society (1784), the Imperial Library (1903), the Baroda movement under Borden (1910-13), the ILA (1933), the National Library (1948, opened 1953) and the RRRLF (1972).
- Key committees: K. P. Sinha (1957), the UGC Library Committee under Ranganathan (1957), Seshagiri (1983-84), Chattopadhyaya on national policy (1985-86), Karisiddappa's CDC (2001) and the National Knowledge Commission (2005-09).
- Public libraries are a State subject; the first public library Act was Kolhapur (1945) and the first state Act Madras (1948); Acts create library authorities, cess-based finance and a state-to-village network.
- The Press and Registration of Books Act 1867 was repealed and replaced by the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act 2023 (in force 1 March 2024); the Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act (1954, amended 1956) sends one copy within 30 days to each of four libraries.
- Ranganathan's five laws (1931): books are for use; every reader his or her book; every book its reader; save the time of the reader; the library is a growing organism; Gorman restated them in 1995.
Practice questions (10)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
Which of Ranganathan's laws is the main justification for flexible buildings and hospitable classification schemes?
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Answer: C — The library is a growing organism
The fifth law recognises that collections, users and staff grow and change, so buildings and schemes must accommodate growth. The first law justifies open access, the third displays and added entries, and the fourth classification and reference service.The first public libraries Act passed by an Indian province or state was enacted in:
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Answer: D — Madras, 1948
The Madras Public Libraries Act 1948 was the first by a province or state; only the princely state of Kolhapur (1945) legislated earlier. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal followed in 1960, 1967 and 1979.Under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, within how many days of publication must a publisher deliver the copies? Type the number.
Numerical answer — type the value.
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Answer: 30
The publisher must deliver one copy to the National Library, Kolkata, and one to each of the three other notified public libraries, at his own expense, within 30 days of the date of publication.Which of the following libraries receive copies under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act? Select all that apply.
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Answer: B — Delhi Public Library; C — Connemara Public Library, Chennai
The four receiving libraries are the National Library, Kolkata, the Connemara Public Library, Chennai, the Central Library, Mumbai, and the Delhi Public Library. Khuda Bakhsh is an oriental library of national importance and the Hyderabad library is a state central library; neither receives legal deposit copies under the Act.Assertion (A): The Press and Registration of Books Act 1867 no longer governs the registration of periodicals in India. Reason (R): The Press and Registration of Periodicals Act 2023, which came into force on 1 March 2024, repealed the 1867 Act. Choose the correct option.
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Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Both are true and R explains A. The 2023 Act repealed the 1867 Act and now governs periodicals through a Press Registrar General and an online registration system.Whom did Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III invite to organise a free public library system in Baroda?
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Answer: A — William Alanson Borden
W. A. Borden, an American librarian, organised the Baroda library system between 1910 and 1913 and started India's first library training class. Asa Don Dickinson taught at Punjab University, Lahore, from 1915, Dewey devised the DDC, and Curzon formed the Imperial Library.The Committee on National Policy on Library and Information System (1985-86) was chaired by:
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Answer: B — D. P. Chattopadhyaya
D. P. Chattopadhyaya chaired the committee that drafted a national policy on library and information systems. K. P. Sinha chaired the Advisory Committee for Libraries (1957), N. Seshagiri the working group on modernisation (1983-84), and Karisiddappa the UGC curriculum committee (2001).Which of the following are functions usually attributed to a national library? Select all that apply.
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Answer: B — Compiling the national bibliography; C — Preserving the collection for future generations; D — Acquiring the national imprint through legal deposit
A national library collects the national imprint by legal deposit, preserves it, compiles the national bibliography and leads the national network. District-level lending to school students is the work of public and school libraries.In which year was Ranganathan's book The Five Laws of Library Science first published? Type the year.
Numerical answer — type the value.
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Answer: 1931
The Five Laws of Library Science appeared in 1931, followed by the Colon Classification in 1933 and the Classified Catalogue Code in 1934.The Imperial Library became the National Library of India by an Act of 1948 and was opened to the public at Belvedere, Kolkata, in:
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Answer: C — 1953
The Imperial Library (Change of Name) Act 1948 renamed it, and it opened to the public at Belvedere on 1 February 1953. The Imperial Library itself dates from 1903, and 1972 is the year the RRRLF was founded.