Dr. S. R. Ranganathan: A Chronological Biography
‘God has chosen me as an Instrument, the honor done to me should act as an incentive to the younger generation to devote their lives wholeheartedly to library science and service’— Dr. S. R. Ranganathan
‘That one cannot properly judge the work of S. R. Ranganathan without reference to the totality of Librarianship’ — Jesse H. Shera
‘If there is any single individual who merits being called a ‘one-man library movement’, certainly he [Ranganathan] has earned that distinction through his accomplishments in India’ — Jesse H. Shera
‘One of the immortals of Library Science’ — K.G.B. Bakewell
Dr. S. R. Ranganathan is ‘without question, one of the luminaries of library science’ and has had a ‘revolutionary impact on international classification theory’ — Eugene Garfield
‘Prince among Librarians’ — Sir Maurice Gwyer
‘Father of Library Science in India’ — Sir Maurice Gwyer
American Library Association called him ‘World Librarian’
BIRTH & FAMILY LIFE
1892: Born 9 August at Shiyali (now, Sirkazhi) Tanjavoor District, Madras State (now, TamilNadu).
- Father: N. Ramamrita Ayyar, landlord (1866–1898)
- Mother: Seethalakshmi Ammal (1872–1953)
Note: He was the first child of his parents and the first grandchild of the grandparents both paternal and maternal.
1907: Married to Rukmini (1896–1928)
1929: Married to Sarada (1908–1985)
1932: Blessed with a son born on April 12, R. Yogeshwar (Engineer by Profession)
EDUCATION
1897–1908: Schooling from S. M. Hindu High School, Shiyali
1909: Matriculation
1913: B. A. (Mathematics) Madras Christian College
1916: M. A. (Mathematics) Madras Christian College
1917: Professional Teaching Certificate from Teachers’ College, Saidapet, Madras
1924–1925
- Went to England in September 1924 for a study cum observation tour from School of Librarianship, University College of London
- Got practical work experience in the Croydon Public Library under W. C. Berwick Sayers and returned India in July 1925.
EMPLOYMENT CAREER
1917–1921: Worked as an Assistant Lecturer in Government College, Mangalore and Coimbatore
1921: Joined the Presidency College, Madras as Assistant professor in Mathematics
1924–1944: Appointed as the first University Librarian of University of Madras on 4thJanuary 1924
1945–1947: University Librarian and Professor of Library Science, BHU, Varanasi
HONORARY WORK
1928–1933: Lecturer on school library work, Teachers’ College, Saidapet, Madras
1929–1944: Professor in Library Science, University of Madras, Madras
1944: Visiting faculty on Library Classification, University of Bombay
1945–1947: Professor in Library Science, BHU, Varanasi
1947–1954: Professor in library science, University of Delhi, Delhi
1956: Visiting lecturer of library schools, United Kingdom
1957–1959: Visiting professor in library science, Vikram University, Ujjain
1962: Honorary Professor, DRTC, Bangalore
1963: Visiting lecturer of library schools, University of Pittsburgh
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Dr. S. R. Ranganathan: A Chronological Biography