Nature, Scope and Functions of Library and Information Science
What the domain covers
Library and Information Science (LIS) studies how recorded knowledge is collected, organised, stored, retrieved and disseminated. The Maharashtra HSC paper tests whether you can distinguish LIS from information technology and explain its interdisciplinary roots in librarianship, documentation, communication and management.
Core rules and concepts
- Five Laws of Library Science (S.R. Ranganathan): Books are for use; Every reader his/her book; Every book its reader; Save the time of the reader; The library is a growing organism.
- Functions: collection building, classification and cataloguing, reference and information service, circulation, preservation, outreach.
- Scope: public, academic, special and national libraries; archives; documentation centres; digital repositories; information products and services.
- Nature: LIS is applied, user-centred and service-oriented; it borrows theory from sociology, psychology, education and computer science but has its own principles and ethics.
Worked example
A college plans a reading room. Applying Law 1, you place high-demand textbooks on open shelves, not locked cupboards. Law 2 leads to multiple copies for reserved categories. Law 3 means arranging books by subject, not accession number. Law 4 means a clear OPAC and signage. Law 5 justifies annual weeding and space for new media.
Traps that cost marks
Do not reduce LIS to "computer work"; do not list the Five Laws in the wrong order; do not confuse library science with information science entirely-information science emphasises retrieval, systems and user behaviour. Marks are lost when answers omit dissemination and preservation.