Ranganathan's relevance in the 21st century

Abstract

PurposeTo discuss the importance of S.R. Ranganathan's teachings for librarians in the 21st century.Design/methodology/approach – The article is a reflective piece examining Ranganathan's five laws of library science in their modern context.Findings – That we owe as much of a debt to Ranganathan today as we did when he first published his five laws in the 1920s. His laws remain relevant in numerous areas of modern library and information practice, and will continue to be reinterpreted by the profession for a long time to come.Practical implication – The paper argues for a revisiting of the works of Ranganathan and a continued championing of them in the library world.Originality/value – The value of the paper is in examining traditional library values in the modern era