To be literate is to possess the cow of plenty
Fri 3 Feb 2006, 5:40 pm
To be literate is to possess the cow of plenty
Originally uploaded by Colorado College Tutt Library.
People have been throwing around Ranganathan’s five laws of library science so I thought I would take a look at the original.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this beautiful design on the cover of the 1931 edition I got from the library of the University of Colorado at Boulder. “To be literate is to possess the cow of plenty.” Indeed.
Updated to add: Does anyone else think it is funny to see Michael Gorman cited on that Wikipedia entry for the Five Laws? And does anyone else think that article is bunk when it says that “Gorman’s revision is the most renowned one available in the library and information sciences community?” Not that we can blame Gorman for that one, however much I love the thought of him dropping references to himself in Wikipedia.
- License:
- File under: From the stacks,Professional reading
- Comments? 3
I modified that Wikipedia entry. In any event, it was inaccurate (surprise, surprise, surprise).
Comment by K.G. Schneider — February 3, 2006 @ 10:05 pm
Karen, you rule, as usual. I almost updated the post a second time last night to link to your 1995 letter to the editor of American Libraries on Gorman’s laws. Thanks for giving me an excuse to link it here.
The “muscular strength and vivid language of Ranganathan’s original prose” (as you put it on Wikipedia) is exactly right. “Books are for use.”
Comment by Steve Lawson — February 4, 2006 @ 6:42 am
You are too funny! I didn’t even remember that letter!
Call that my maiden Wikipedia voyage. I’m still a Wikipedia curmudgeon–but the idea that Gorman’s “rules” are the prevailing model (I doubt most L2′ers have heard of them) was too absurd not to address.
Comment by K.G. Schneider — February 4, 2006 @ 10:01 am