NVS/KVS/UGC-NET/EMRS/RAJASTHAN GR.2 & 3 - Unit 2 (Cataloguing) - "Normative Principles of Cataloguing"

 Normative Principles of Cataloguing

Dr. Ranganathan is the first librarian, who propounded normative principle to give scientific form to cataloguing.

This is the result of various experience of his London teaching period of 1924-25 and later life. After returning to India, Cataloguing 70,000 Books in Madras University Library in 1929-1939,the work experience of cataloguing, teaching and reference service began to outline these principles. In Ranganathan's own words, "The first attempt to give scientific form to cataloguing and cataloguing code took place in 1938. 

💡These principles were different from the Five Laws of library science. In fact these principles were the implication of the Five Laws. These are called Canons of Cataloguing.

💡S.R. Ranganathan has used 3 terms for Normative principles in special context. These terms are:- 

1. Law 
2. Canon 
3. Principles

1. Law 

👉 Rules related to main subjects are called Laws, such as rules related to economics, library science, physics, chemistry etc. Laws tell us what to do and what not to do. 

2. Canon

👉 Such a general principle or standard with the help of which it is possible to take a decision is called a Canon. In other words, the group of articles related to rules which are authentic, is Canon.

👉 Ranganathan deals with the first division of the main subjects such as selection of Books, Classification, Cataloguing etc. in library science. The rules are called Canons.

3. Principle 

👉The rules necessary for the systematic study of the subject of any art or science are called principles. Ranganathan used the term to refer to division related to the second or subsequent order of the main subject, such as the principle of helpful sequence in classification and the principle of Indexing in Cataloguing.

Historical Development of Normative Principles

📒 First phase - The first creation of canons of cataloguing in 1938 named "Theory of Library Catalogue" by Ranganathan happened in the book. Their number was 6.

1. Canon of Consistency 
2. Canon of Relevance
3. Canon of Ascertainability
4. Canon of permanence
5. Canon of Currency
6. Canon of Prepotance

📒 Second Phase - The second attempt to make Canons of Cataloguing took place in the year 1955 in the book named "Heading and Canon" This book was prepared for the conference of "International Federation of Library Association". In this book,2 other Canons were added.

7. Canon of Context 

8. Canon of Purity 

📌 In the Fifth edition of CCC, Canon of purity was removed and another Canon (Canon of Individualization) was added. 

📒 Third Phase - The 9th formulation of canon i.e., canon of recall value is in the December,1969 issue of library science with a slant to documentation. 

👉 General Laws of Library science 

1. Law of Interpretation 
2. Law of Impartiality
3. Law of Symmetry
4. Law of Parsimony

👉Principle of Cataloguing

1. Principle of local Variation
2. Principle of OSMOSIS
3. Principle of Unity of Idea
4. Principle of Probability

📌Thus now there are total 9 Canons, 5 Library Science Laws, 4 General Laws and 4 Principles.

Canon of Cataloguing

1. Canon of Ascertainability

👉According to Ranganathan, the information in the entries of the catalogue should be fixed and not imaginary.

👉There is a provision of title making on the basis of information available on the main page of all its rules.

2. Canon of Prepotance

👉 The purpose of this canon is to determine the arrangement of entries based on priority. Arrangement of entries in a Catalogue letter-by-letter or digit by digit.

👉This canon decides the position of an entry among the various entries in a catalogue.

3. Canon of Individualization

👉The main purpose of this canon is to fully personalize the heading given by the title paragraph of the entries of the Catalogue so that the names resulting from homonyms loss can be avoided. 

4. Canon Sought of Heading

👉This canon suggests the best way to choose titles for the catalogue.

👉Canon of sought Heading is related to - Reader's Approach

5. Canon of Context

👉This Canon propounds that in the event of change in the nature of books, readers and library services, the previously prepared catalogue of the code will be changed. Necessary changes should be made in the rules. 

6. Canon of Permanence

👉The main purpose of this canon is to keep stability in the title.

7. Canon of Currency 

👉The purpose of this Canon is to fulfill the subject learning of each reader under the name of the subject prevalent among the maximum number of readers. 

8. Canon of Consistency

👉The rules of the catalogue code should be such that all the subsidiary entries of a document correspond to the main entry of that book. 

9. Canon of Recall value

👉This Canon is D.R.T.C is the result of developmental research. This principle was propounded by Ranganathan in 1969.

Other Important Facts 

✔"Recto" is used for Right side of the page of a book.

✔ The sharing of the work of preparing catalogue card by two or more independent Libraries for the mutual benefits is called co-operative Catalogue.

✔ What is the Catalogue in which entries relating to the authors title , subjects etc. of the books arranged alphabetically.

✔ Official Catalogue or Union Catalogue is mostly used by - Library Staff

✔Unit Card Principle is associated with - Card Catalogue

✔ Library Catalogue Card filed in specially designed drawers called - Catalogue Cabinet

✔ A Catalogue of Books related to places is - Topo Graphical Catalogue.

✔The process by which a library identifies an "Active Collection" for reprocessing - Principle of OSMOSIS