The Role of Libraries

• Libraries preserve and organize human knowledge records.
• Libraries are social, cultural, and educational institutions.
• Books are acquired for use, which is the primary motive of the library.
• A library exists when books, users, and staff are present.

Role of Libraries

• Libraries reflect society; they preserve what is created within it.
• Libraries preserve records and knowledge from graphic to images and sounds
• Libraries act as a repository of global knowledge.
• Libraries organize knowledge for access and arrangement.
• Libraries are essential to educational institutions.
• Libraries are depositories of laws and regulations.
• Libraries facilitate communication and the use of information, fostering the growth of the information industry.

Challenges in Information Flow

• Information flow is multidirectional
• Information overload makes it difficult for users to keep up with developments.
• Libraries organize information flow through work divisions.

Library Work Divisions

• Acquisition
• Periodical & Serial Control
• Technical Processing
• Circulation & Reference

Library Services

• Staff Assistance

• User Orientation

• Reading Area provision

• Book lending/return

• Reference Service

• Current Awareness Services

• Request and Reservation services

• Inter Library Loan

• Document Delivery Service

• Photocopy Services

• Provision of Reading Lists, Indexes, and Bibliographies

• Database Services, including online and CD-ROM databases

• Libraries provide the right information to the right user at the right time, aligning with the five fundamental laws by Dr. S. R. Ranganathan.

• In Punjab Agricultural University, the Mohinder Singh Randhawa Library extends library and information services at a central level.

• The University Librarian oversees these services

• Deputy/Assistant Librarians supervise services in library sections.

• The PGS-501 course is offered to Ph.D./M.Sc students in PAU.

PAU Library Faculty

• Teaching: University Librarian, Deputy Librarian, and Assistant Librarian
• Non-teaching: Junior Library Assistant and Library Attendant

Five Laws of Library Science

• Propounded by Dr. S. R. Ranganathan, known as the Father of Library Science.
• Globally accepted as the basis for operating a library system.
• Serve as a framework for both library service providers and end-users.
• Provide a scientific approach to library science.

The Five Laws

• Books are for use.
• Every reader his/her book.
• Every book its reader.
• Save time of the reader.
• Library is a growing organism.

First Law: Books Are For Use

• Books are added based on user need and kept for service, not storage.
• Systematic arrangement ensures easy searchability of books.
• If books are not used, contents may become obsolete.
• Methods like Current Arrival Stands and electronic announcements publicize resources.
• User education maximizes library and resource use.

Second Law: Every Reader His/Her Book

• Libraries should ensure every reader accesses their required information source.
• Management should provide funds for resource updates.
• Users should provide feedback to library staff about their information needs.

Third Law: Every Book Its User

• Match information to sources via classification, grouping allied documents.
• Resources should be in an open access system without barriers between user and document.
• Books should be classified and cataloged scientifically for easy searching.

Fourth Law: Save Time of the Reader

• Minimize time spent providing the right information to the right user.
• Librarians should apply devices for book arrangement to prevent wasted search time.
• Staff should replace books properly to avoid them being considered lost.
• All library operations should be planned scientifically and systematically.

Fifth Law: Library is a Growing Organism

• Information is growing, doubling approximately every five years.

• Demand from information seekers increases daily.

• Library system development and expansion result from this phenomenon.

• Library automation using computer technology affects human resources.

• All library operations are based on library science laws.

• Libraries should modernize using the latest technologies and be user-friendly.

• Services should facilitate library use without frustration.

• Advertise all services and encourage use.

• Library staff should guide and assist users courteously.

Chapter 3: Organization of Documents and Using Reference Sources

• A document is any paper or element that provides information or represents a person's thinking through symbolic marks.
• Documents can be written or printed papers bearing official, original, or legal forms of information.
• Libraries are essential to organize, disseminate, and utilize documented sources, given exponential information generation.

Types of Documents

• Conventional documents
• Non-conventional documents

Conventional Documents

• Classified according to established practice and accepted standards .
• Books
• Periodicals

Book Definition

• A written or printed work with pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers.
• Book Types:
  • Book
  • Pamphlet/Leaflet
  • Monograph
  • Series

Encyclopedia

• Dictionary
• Biography
• Index and Bibliography
• Gazetteer
• Map and Atlases
• Manual
• Government publication
• Dissertation/Thesis

Periodical Definition

• A magazine or newspaper that is published regularly with a fixed interval on a serious subject.
• Periodical Types:
  • Daily
  • Weekly
  • Fortnightly
  • Monthly
  • Bi-monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Semi-Annual/Half Yearly
  • Annual
  • Bi-annuals
  • Bulletins
  • Calendars
  • Newsletters

Periodical Forms

• Irregular
• Regular
• Indexing Journals
• Abstracting Journals
• Trade Literature
• Proceedings and Conference Papers

Non-Conventional Documents

• Those with no publisher due to external characteristics.
• May not be included in other document categories.
• Types include:
  • Patent
  • Standard
  • Micro Materials (Micro films, Microfiches, Micro cards, Micro prints)
  • Audio & Audio-Visual documents -Tapes, Compact Discs, Pictures

Features of a Document

• Can be termed as a book due to its widespread use of information
• Books give a body/shape to knowledge and thoughts.
• Books contain integral parts with no relation to the thought but help the reader understand the book
• Include:
  • Physical Appearance
  • Life & Soul of the Book
  • Subject Matter

Book Physical Appearance

• Shape, binding, paper, and printing are physical properties.

• Must be attractive and easy to consult.

• Shape, length, breadth, and weight should be reasonable for ease of use.

• Binding, stitching and paper should be of good quality.

• Art paper, heavy paper, and rice paper should not be used in routine.

• Binding is the outer part of a book and determines beauty and longevity.

• Binding should be card board for library editions.

• Paper binding of good quality should be used to lessen cost.

• The jacket is an important part of a document because it attracts users.

• The jacket provides brief information about the book and the author.

• Printing, font, and style are important for comfortable reading.

• Font should not be too big or too small.

• Indentions, spacing, and margins should be reasonable.

• Title on the verso page and chapter on the recto page should be printed for ready reference.

• Authenticated and usable illustrations and tables should be ensured.

Life and Soul of the Book

• Language, style and clarity are heart and soul.
• It should use modern, easy, and effective language.
• Simple, small, understandable sentences should be used.
• Writing should be consistent.
• Parts:
  • Preliminaries
  • Body
  • Subsidiaries

Book Preliminary Part

• Provides information like Half Title, Cover Photograph/Image, Title Page, Edition.

• Includes information about Printing, Number of Copies Printed, Name, Seal & Address of the Publisher.

• Contains the Dedication, Preface, Forward, Contents, and Errata, if any.

• The body of the book contains the story, description, and main text, which are the main portions of the publication.

• Longer books and manuals often have the body divided into chapters or sections.

• Subsidiaries help users such as:

  • Notes
  • Appendices
  • Vocabulary
  • Bibliography
  • Index
  • Imprint
  • Fly Leaf
  • Maps and Plates and Jacket

• Subject matter always dominates, known for its contents not the author or title.

• Types:

  • Seminal Book
  • Books Came Out of Research
  • Explanatory Books (Text books)
  • Information Giving Books
  • General Books

Seminal Book

• Written by great personality and influential author.

Books Came Out of Research

• Content came out of research and firm belief.

Explanatory Books (Text Books)

• Printed and bound for a course of study with facts and ideas of a certain subject.

Information Giving Books

• Knowledge on all or many branches.

General Books

• Books other than above

Classification and Cataloguing of Documents

• The word 'Classification' is derived from the Latin word 'Classes' and involves putting like entities together and separating unlike entities.

• In other words, classification is the art of arranging any group of objects so that those, which have something in common, are placed together.

• Book classification schemes have some distinctive features, and the most important of these is the short symbol they attach to every listed subject.

• This symbol is called the class number or the notation, which stands for subject of the book.

• It is designed to be conveniently placed on all the lists of the books in the library and just as conveniently marked on the books themselves.

• The notation also reveals the place of a particular subject within the scheme.

• Most important schemes of classification which are being used globally for classification of books in different libraries as follows:

  • Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
  • Expansive Classification
  • Universal Decimal Classification (UDC)
  • Library of Congress Classification (LC)
  • Subject Classification
  • Colon Classification (CC)
  • Bibliographic Classification

• Among all the library classification schemes, Dewey Decimal Classification scheme is widely used as it is easy to use by the library users as well as library staff.

• Has excellent mnemonic features and it is based on hierarchical subject relationship.

• Simple notation facilitates quick retrieval.

• Notation consists solely of numbers & has at least a three-figure number.

• scheme divides knowledge into ten parts or classes.

Ten Main Classes

• Computer science, information & general works

• Philosophy & psychology

• Religion

• Social sciences (including statistics and customs)

• Language

• Science (including math, physics, chemistry, biology, zoology)

• Technology (including medicine, agriculture, business)

• Arts & recreation (including architecture, photography)

• Literature

• History & geography (including biography)

• Mohinder Singh Randhawa Library of Punjab Agricultural University uses DDC to classify documents.

Catalogue

• The real value of a library is judged neither by its huge resources nor by its magnificent building, but by its usefulness to the readers, for it is necessary to make the resources of library available to the users enabling them to use the collection to its maximum.
• The First Law of Librarianship dictates that 'Books are for Use'.
• Every librarian duty to make the complete resources of the library available to its users.
• Public catalogue is the most important reference tool which is known as mirror of the library collection.

Catalogue Forms

• Card Catalogue

• Electronic Catalogue (Online Public Access Catalogue)

• Catalogue in Book Form (for the specific collection)

• Catalogue helps the reader in finding out the required material.

• The user may seek his work under different approaches like author, title, series, joint author, publisher, subject, keyword, etc.

• Catalogue is a record of holdings of the library and a guide to identify and locate each item on the shelves.

• Purpose of catalogue to provide key to the class numbers of books, to provide full list of books, & to provide details about the book

How to Use the Card Catalogue

• Skillful use enables a reader to locate library material quickly and efficiently.

• Catalogue cards are filed alphabetically like a dictionary using word-by-word arrangement.

• Every card in the Catalogue has the call number of the book in the upper left-hand corner.

• The Public Card Catalogue is divided into Author/Title Part and Subject Part, and each has entries for a specific category of search like author, title, subject,

• To find document by a personal name, one has to see under surname of the person followed by the forename.

• To search a document by the name of a corporate body, one has to see under the official name of the corporate body except in case of Government body where the name of the territory has to be consulted followed by the organ of the Government.

• For searching using a title, ignore article/prefix at the beginning of the title

• Subject part of Public Card Catalogue has only subject cards for all the publications available in the Author/Title Part Catalogue.

• The parts of the catalogue card enable us to correctly interpret the bibliographic information found on it.

ONLINE PUBLIC ACCESS CATALOGUE (OPAC)

• Is an electronic catalogue of reading materials held by the library.
• Includes a word-based search facility using Boolean operators to narrow searches
• Libraries keep entire collection available at users' fingertips w/sortable criteria
• Search results can be saved and printed.
• OPAC helps to know new additions, book status, and borrower information.

Arrangement and Organization of Documents

Organization

• Libraries provides two types of services viz. Public Services and Technical Services.

• Services grouped in Technical Services:

  • Acquisition of Books and Periodicals
  • Classification and Cataloguing of documents

• Public Services:

  • check-out and check-in of documents
  • reference service
  • arrangement of documents on the shelf in a systematic order

• Arrangement of the documents is done in a systematic and logical manner so that the users may retrieve documents easily and quickly.

• Documents arranged under subject.

• Books within subject heading arranged alphabetically under author.

• Libraries generally use classification schemes with notational numbers.

• The classified arrangement enables readers to see library holdings on particular and related subjects.

• Books are arranged and displayed on shelves from left to right and top to bottom, numerically by call numbers.

• Call number written on the spine for quick identification.

Call Number Definition

• Is a notational reference to any technically processed book in a library.
• Is a group of numbers and/or letters
• Locates book
• Call number located at bottom of spine
• Call number consists of Collection Number, Class Number, and Book Number.