Dr. Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan was a visionary who realized the importance of library legislation for the promotion and development of the library movement in India. He was a forward-thinking person fully dedicated to the cause of the library and information science. He was fully aware of the role of libraries in improving education in any society. He understood the impact of educational advancement for the development of the country and the effectiveness and usefulness of libraries to promote education.
In 1924, Dr. SR Ranganathan visited various public libraries during his stay in the UK. These visits allowed him to study the system, operation, financing and services of various libraries. Consequently, he was convinced that library legislation alone would provide a systematic, well-integrated and efficient public library service. Since public libraries are informal education agencies, it is mandatory for a welfare state to provide, maintain and develop a network of public libraries to meet the needs of the masses. A public library is essential for a popular institution and must be supported by public funds, which must be raised in the most equitable manner. Only the government has the power and authority to impose and collect taxes through legal sanctions, so library legislation is essential to collect library tax. Therefore, it is clear that it is imperative that the government enact library legislation for the establishment and proper functioning of a network of public libraries to serve the educational needs of the general public.
Dr. SR Ranganathan was the first person in India to think of the need for library legislation in 1925 after returning to India from England. He drew up a “Model Library Law” and presented it for discussion at the First Asia Educational Conference, which was held in Banaras from December 27 to 30, 1930. Conference participants were fully convinced of the advantages of libraries. bills and the opinions of Dr. SR Ranganathan. This “Model Law on Libraries” was published by the Madras Library Association during the year 1936. It later amended the bill twice, once in 1957 and again in 1972. This Model Law on Libraries was introduced in the form of Bill in the Assembly of Madras in 1933, through Mr. Basher Ahmed Sayeed, the member of the Assembly an enthusiast of the public library system.
The salient features of Dr. SR Ranganathan’s Model Library Act are: –
Except for the Kerala Public Libraries Act 1989, all laws, which were passed in India during the years 1948 to 1990, are influenced by the Model Public Libraries Act drafted by Dr. SR Ranganathan.
Dr. SR Ranganathan made persistent efforts to get library laws passed by various states in India and he dreamed of having a land of libraries. Prepared several model bills for various states. Below is a list of them: –
He also prepared a Model Union Library Bill in 1948 and redrafted it in 1957.
India obtained the first Public Library Law thanks to the incessant efforts of Dr. SR Ranganathan. For the first time, the Madras Legislature passed the Public Libraries Act in 1948. There is an interesting story behind the successful enactment of the Libraries Act on the third attempt in 1946, although the previous two attempts had failed. The first attempt was made by Janab Basher Ahmed Sayeed when he introduced the bill to the Madras Legislature in 1933, but it could not be passed as the Madras Legislature was dissolved in 1935. A second attempt was made in 1938, but later In the Second World War. started and the bill could not be adopted. In 1946, Mr. Avinashalingam Chettiar, a former student of Dr. SR Ranganathan, became Minister of Education in the state of Madras. One day, Dr. SR Ranganathan took a copy of the Model Library Act and went to meet the Minister at his home after his usual morning walk. The Minister was surprised to see his “Guru” early in the morning and asked him about the purpose of his visit. Dr. SR Ranganathan replied that he had come to demand his “Gurudakshina”. When the Minister promised to offer the same, Dr. SR Ranganathan handed over a copy of the Model Law and expressed his wish that it become law during his tenure as Minister. Avinashalingam Chettiar put the bill to the test and signed it into law in 1948.
