DR.S.R.

RANGANATHAN
(A SHORT BIOGRAPHY)
Dr. J.VIVEKAVARDHAN
M.Tech.,M.Sc.,M.Ed.,M.L.I.Sc.,Ph.D
Asst.Professor, PGDDIM Programme,
Department of Library & Information Science
Osmania University,
Hyderabad.
Email: jvk_dn@yahoo.com

J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

S.R.Ranganthan-A Short Biography

Birth and Parentage
Family Life
Education
Teaching Career
Towards Librarianship
Activities at Madras
Activities at Banaras
Towards Zurich
Activities at Bangalore
3

J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Birth and Parentage

Ranganathan was born
in Shiyali in Tanjavoor

District of Tamil Nadu around 9.30A.M. on 9th

August 1892.
His Father Ramamrita Ayyar, (Landlord). He was
a learned and cultured man, used to giving
Ramayana Pravachanam to small audiences
was influential by the people of the
neighbourhood and also by visiting officials.
His Mother Seethalakshmi was a simple and
very pious lady.
Ramamrita Ayyar died (on 13 January 1898)
rather suddenly after about of illness at the age
of J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
30, when Ranganathan was only six years
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4
OU,Hyderabad
old.

Family Life
Ranganathan married when he was fifteen years old in 1907.
Rukmini was his wifes name. she died in an accident on 13

November 1928. The couple had no children.

Ranganthan was married again in December 1929 with
Sarada. She was very devoted to Ranganathan and helped
him to work ceaselessly for the cause of the library profession.
She died at the age of 78 years on 30 th July 1985 in Bangalore.
Ranganathan
was blessed with only one son Shri
R.Yogeswar, born in 1932.He is an Engineer by profession
and is an international consultant on machine tool design and
development.
Ranganathan had a simple taste for food.
He would not
unnecessarily waste money and energy. He was sympathetic
to good people; encouraged intelligent students and guided
them towards better goal and achievements.
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J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Education
Ranganathan attended the S.M. Hindu High school at

Shiyali and passed Matriculation examination in first class

in 1909.
Ranganathan joined the junior intermediate class at the
Madras Christian College in 1909.
Ranganathan passed B.A. with a first class in March/April
1913. He joined the M.A. in Mathematics with Professor
Edward B.Ross as his teacher. Ranganathan had an
excellent Guru-shishya relationship.
Ranganathan did his Masters degree in 1916 and he
wanted to be a teacher in Mathematics.
Ranganathan cultivated intimacy with his teachers,
professors Moffat and J.P.Manickam of Physics,
Prof.Sabhesan of Botany, L.N.Subrmanyam of Mathematics.
But prof.Ross remained his favourite Guru throughout his
life.
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J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Teaching career
Ranganathan was appointed as Assistant

Lecturer in 1917.
He joined the Presidency College, in july
1921
as
Assistant
professor
of
Mathematics. Ranganathan taught physics
and Mathematics at presidency college, he
taught Algebra, Trignometry and Statistics.
He was a follower of the individual method
of teaching putting discussion method into
active use.
Ranganathan earned an epithet born
teacher.
J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,

He was a popular figure in 3/23/16

the
OU,Hyderabad

Towards Librarianship
Ranganathan left Presidency College in January 1924

to take appointment as the first librarian of Madras

University.
Ranganathan left for England in September 1924
and returned in July 1925 after 9 months of studycum-observation tour. Ranganathan came in close
contact with W.C.Berwick Sayers, chief librarian of
Croydon public Library and a lecturer in the
University school of Librarianship in London.
He has been the pioneer of the library movement in
the Madras Presidency and has been carrying on an
energetic propaganda to spread it.
He knows how to rouse and sustain the interest of
the reader.
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J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Activities at Madras
A school of library science was initiated by

Ranganathan in 1929, Ranganathan was

the director of the school for nearly 15
years.
Later in 1957 during the centenary
celebrations of the Madras University, he
denoted his lifes savings of one lakhs
rupees to the University to endow a chair
known
as
Sarada
Ranganathan
Professorship in Library Science.
The
students of this school have taken leading
parts at all levels of activity- local, national,
and international.
J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Activities at Banaras
Having performed active library service for 21

years, Ranganathan sought voluntary retirement in

1945 and wanted to engage himself in active
research.
But he received an invitation to develop the library
system of the Banaras Hindu University, by the
then Vice-Chancellor Sir.S.Radhakrishnan.
At Banaras, Ranganathan found the library in a
chaotic condition.
He reorganized the entire
collection
single-handedly,
classified
and
catalogued about 1,00,000 books with a missionary
zeal during 1945-47.
He also conducted the
Diploma Course in Library Science during the same
period.
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J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Activities at Delhi
Ranganathan moved over to Delhi University in 1947

on an invitation from Sir.Maurice Gwyer.

Ranganathan was elected the president of the Indian
Library Association.
He had a close liaison with Donker Duyvis, the then
dynamic Secretary-General of FID. Ranganathan was
the chairman of the Classification Research Group of
the International Federation for Documentation (FID)
between 1950-62, He was the Honorary Chairman of
FID/CR till his death in 1972. INSDOC was founded, He
promoted the Madras Public Library Act, He also
initiated the Classification Research Group at London.
He visited USA in 1950 under Rockfeller Foundation
and wrote the book classification and communication.
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J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Towards Zurich
In order to gain first hand knowledge of

Industrial documentation and to meet his

international commitments Ranganathan
moved over to Zurich.

He wrote the second edition of

Prolegomena to Library Classification
(Published by the Library Association,
London)
He also regularly contributed to the Annals
of Library science published by the INSDOC

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J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Activities at Bangalore
In 1957, Ranganathan moved over to Bangalore.
The crowning point of Ranganathans activity

was in the founding of Documentation Research

and Training Centre, Bangalore under the
auspices of the Indian Statistical Institute. The
main functions of this centre are centered
around research and teaching activities in
Library and Information Science.
Ranganathan was the Honorary Professor of this
centre during 1962-72.
Ranganthan was recognised by the government
of India and made him the National Research
Professor in Library Science.
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J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

Activities at Bangalore
Ranganathan was honoured by Delhi

14

University and Pittsburgh University by

awarding Doctor of Letters degrees in 1948
and 1964.
Ranganthan received these awards and
honours in simple and humble stride and
advised his students to o hard work saying
that reward would come in appropriate
time.
He used to say God has chosen me as an
instrument the honour done to me should
act as an incentive to the younger
J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
generation to devote their lives
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OU,Hyderabad
wholeheartedly to library science and

Activities at Bangalore
He wrote sixty books and 2000 articles.
His life was a symbol of immortality.

The integral
nature of Ranganathans theory emerged from
occasion intution.
Until the end of his life, to the very last day,
Ranganathan kept on working. He died on 27
September 1972 after a fruitful 80 years of his life.
While he himself contributed to the field of library
service, science and profession, he catalysed a
human
movement
whose
manifestation
is
witnessed even today.
His life and work in the field of library science
modeled an ever-inquiring mind, well entrenched.
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J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16

16

J.VIVEKAVARDHAN:Asst.Professor,
OU,Hyderabad

3/23/16