The Laws of the Library
At Excelsior the other night, Sarah was telling a childhood story of the Evil Censoring Librarian, who would not pull a Victor Hugo novel off a high shelf for her "because you'll never finish it." Lawrence (a librarian) and I both gasped. "That violates one of the Laws of Library Science!" I shrieked.
Sarah said, "What are the other Laws of Library Science?"
And Lawrence and I looked at each other. "Uh... Well, they're good rules," we mumbled, "and that definitely violates one of them."
Without further ado:
The Five Laws of Library Science
by S.R. Ranganathan
I got my Field Guide to Surreal Botany entry out of the last one, plus a short story no one has published yet.
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Also, for IBARW: That which everyone else has already linked to, I feel, but the author is a librarian, Aryan Elves and Damsels Distressed: a Librarian-Writer’s View of Bias in American SF
God, I love librarians.
Sarah said, "What are the other Laws of Library Science?"
And Lawrence and I looked at each other. "Uh... Well, they're good rules," we mumbled, "and that definitely violates one of them."
Without further ado:
The Five Laws of Library Science
by S.R. Ranganathan
- Books are for use.
- Every reader his (or her) book.
- Every book its reader.
- Save the time of the patron.
- The library is a growing organism.
I got my Field Guide to Surreal Botany entry out of the last one, plus a short story no one has published yet.
----
Also, for IBARW: That which everyone else has already linked to, I feel, but the author is a librarian, Aryan Elves and Damsels Distressed: a Librarian-Writer’s View of Bias in American SF
God, I love librarians.