Who was Dr. Ranganathan?

Dr. S. R. Ranganathan was an important component of India's library as it is today. He was an advocate of incorporating the Dewey Decimal system and created the Colon Classification system in 1933. His classification system is used worldwide and has had an affect on the way other systems, including Dewey, classify information. He also deviced the method of chain indexing for subject-indexing.He started a Library school in Madras in 1929 teaching both old (Dewey) and new (Colon) classification schemes.

A little more about him:
http://www.ilaindia.net/About%20Dr.%20S.%20R.%20Ranganathan-ILA.html

Library Associations in India

The Indian Library Association was formed on Sept. 13, 1933 at the first all India Library Conference in Calcutta. For the first 12 years, the ILA was housed in the Imperial Library at Calcutta but was moved to the University of Dehli in 1946 until its move back to Calcutta in Sept. of 1953. When it was shifted back to the Dehli Public Library in August of 64, the General Body Meeting on May 24, 1970 made a change in the constitution to declare Dehli/New Dehli its permanent headquarters. It has had its own home in Dehli in April of since 82.

Similar to the ALA, ILA members work in college, university, public, special (corporate, non-profit and government) and school libraries. The following are the original (and some amended)objectives of the ILA created at it's Sept. 13 creation, as stated on their website (http://www.ilaindia.net/About%20ILA.html):

(a) the furtherance of the library movement in India;

(b) the promotion of the training of librarians; and

(c) the improvement of the status of librarians.

In 1935 two more objectives were added:

(a) promotion of research in library science; and

(b) co-operation with international organizations with similar objectives.

The 1970 amendment to the constitution added following four more objectives:

(a) publication of bulletins, periodicals, books etc., which tend to the realization of the

objects of the association;

(b) establishment of libraries, documentation & information centres and assistance

to their establishment and working;

(c) promotion of appropriate library legislation in India; and

(d) to do all such other things as are incidental of above mentioned objects.

The amendment dated January 4, 1987 in the constitution has added three more

objectives namely:

(i) providing a common forum to all persons engaged or interested in library and information

work by holding conferences and meetings for discussion of professional, technical

and organisational issues;

(ii) accreditation of institutions imparting library and information science education and training;

and

(iii) promotion as well as formulation of standards, norms, guidelines, etc. for management

of Library and Information Systems and Services.

The ILA Constitution:

CONSTITUTION

(Effective from January 5, 1987)

“An Association Is What Its Members Make It By Their Active Collaboration
And Participation In Its Programmes And Activities; No More, No Less.”

The website goes into the clauses of the constitution in great detail, including information and procedures regarding: name, objectives, property, finance, membership, management, officials, council, tenure of office, meeting guidelines, supply of ILA Publication, special funds, etc.
The main site also includes the names of library officials, information about their conference (which happened earlier this year, the 55th annual, on Jan 21-24th regarding Library and Information Science in the Digital Era), publications and membership info.


The following are links the existing Library Associations and Networks in India:

1. Indian Library Association [ILA] (?)
http://www.ila-india.org/

2. Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centers
(IASLIC) http://www.iaslic1955.org/

3. Society for Information Science [SIS] Not Updated
http://sis-india.netfirms.com/

4. Developing Library Network (DELNET)
http://delnet.nic.in/

5. Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET)
http://www.inflibnet.ac.in/

6. Kerala Library Association
http://www.keralalibraryassociation.org/

7. Gujarat Library Association
[Gujarat Granthalaya-Seva Sangh - GGSS]
http://ggss.org.in/

8. Madras Library Association
http://www.accel-india.com/mala/

9. Bengal Library Association
[Bangiya Granthagar Parishad]
http://www.blacal.org/

10. Delhi Library Association [DLA]
http://www.dlaindia.org/

11. Ahmedabad Library Network (ADINET)
http://www.alibnet.org

12. Bombay Science Librarian's Association (BOSLA)
http://www.bosla.org.in/

13. Mysore Library Network (MYLIBNET
http://www.mylibnet.org/

14. Indian Theological Library Association
http://www.geocities.com/itla_in/home.html

15. Society for Advancement of Library and Information Science [SALIS]
http://autolib-india.net/salis.html

These were achieved from http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/pipermail/lis-forum/2007-June/005819.html and the site claims that the links were all active as of May 2007. After looking through them, some do not work and some are inaccurate. Some may serve useful, however, if looking for a specific topic designated to one area or branch of library services in India.