Best of
Librarianship

1996

Five Laws of Library Science


S.R. Ranganathan - 1996
    Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan considered the father of library science in India cover certain facets of library and information science. These library science classics reprinted by Ess Ess Publications make Dr. S.R. Ranganathan's work available to the current generation of librarians. S. R. Ranganathan, considered by librarians all over the world to be the father of modern library science, proposed five laws of library science in the early 1930s. Most librarians worldwide accept them as the foundations of the philosophy of their work and service in the library. These laws are: Books are for use, Every reader his or her book, Every book its reader, Save the time of the reader, and The library is a growing organism. The Five Laws of Library Science are some of the most influential concepts in the field. Since they were published in 1931, these five laws have remained a centerpiece of professional values... (Rubin 2004). These basic theories of Library Science continue to directly impact the development of this discipline and the service of all libraries. [From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]. The book has been reprinted over twenty-five times to meet the demand from libraries, students of library and information science and information professionals. In 2006 when DLIST (University of Arizona) placed a test version of the contents page and first chapter of the first edition of the book on the Internet, there were some 640 downloads in twenty-four hours. The five laws are equally valid in the present digital / information age as they have been in the conventional library environment.

The Great Libraries: From Antiquity to Renaissance


Konstantinos Staikos - 1996
    to 1600 A.D. Beginning with the clay-tablet libraries of the ancient Sumerian and Assyro-Babylonian empires, to those inspired by the Italian Renaissance, Mr. Staikos reveals the majesty of Western literature within these great depositories of human knowledge. Using over 400 illustrations [130 in full color] the reader is treated to hundreds of beautifully photographed interiors of these legendary libraries and their rare treasures.Chapter by chapter, the stories of the fabled libraries of Alexandria, Greece and Rome unfold like an unbroken chain, connecting the wisdom of the ancients to the magnificent libraries of the European Renaissance.The author also shares with us the very personal stories of the founders and the un-sung librarians, who struggled during wars and countless disasters to preserve and protect their precious holdings. The chapters on the contributions of the Byzantine and Greek monastic libraries, the foundation of the Western Renaissance, are especially revealing.Mr. Staikos' original scholarship and well-written prose makes a very readable work of surprising originality. He has created a literary masterpiece that captures the rich heritage of one of man's greatest achievements. This is a very special, large-format volume no bibliophile will want to be without. Co-published with The British Library.

Leading Kids to Books Through Magic


Caroline Feller Bauer - 1996
    Anyone can perform these 29 magic tricks, selected especially for the applicability to reading themes and children's books.