Save the Time of the Reader: Using S. R. Ranganathan's Fourth Law to Build the Business Library of the Future

Abstract

S. R. Ranganathan's monumental 1931 work The Five Laws of Library Science remains one of the most powerful and inspirational works in our field. Even though he might not have envisioned the digital library of today, his work remains a beacon that guides librarians into a new world order. The fourth law, "save the time of the reader," captures the image and primary goal of the library of the future. This stands as a critical principle for the future of libraries, especially those supporting business.

Ranganathan's Fourth Law is one that often focuses on technical services, especially in the context of creating catalogs and the organization of information. Through these resources, we create users who are more self-sufficient in finding what they need. Without these resources, our users wouldn't be able find any books or articles. While the creation of self-service tools like catalogs are a significant investment that libraries make to save the time of our users, they are by no means perfect. We organize information the way that we understand it. The self-service library user is successful when he or she searches search for books or data in the same descriptive conventions that libraries use. But does it work for business researchers, especially for those conducting entrepreneurial research? Does their visioning of information align with the way that we structure it in our physical and digital libraries? Often, the answer is no.

A better way to save the time of the reader is through direct support and assistance. Business researchers live with the appearance of abundance of information, yet become frustrated when their desired items appear elusive. This is especially true for entrepreneurial researchers who are working in new and narrow markets that are not as well defined or described. This presentation will explore S.R. Ranganathan's fourth law re-envisioned to focus on public or reference services to meet the needs of the business and entrepreneurial researcher. This presentation will showcase how business libraries can save the time of our researchers by being service-oriented and responsive to their research needs. Through a service-orientation, we can better understand our users and, in turn, help them find the information and works they need. Through this service-orientation, we can build the library of the future that business researchers and entrepreneurs need.