Question

Who formulated a set of normative principles to provide scientific basis for bibliographic description?

• A. Antony Panizzi
• B. Charles Ami Cutter
• C. S.R. Ranganathan
• D. IFLA

Hint:

When you see "normative principles," "canons," or "scientific basis" in a library science context, your first thought should be S.R. Ranganathan. His work was all about moving from practical rules to a guiding theory.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understand "Normative Principles". Normative principles are guidelines or rules that set a standard for how something should be done. In cataloguing, they provide a consistent, theoretical foundation for describing documents.

Step 2: Analyze the contributions of the individuals listed. \[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{Antony Panizzi: Famous for his 91 rules for the British Museum catalogue, which were foundational but primarily practical rules, not a comprehensive theory.} \\ \bullet & \text{Charles Ami Cutter: Known for his "Rules for a Dictionary Catalog" and objectives of the catalog, which were highly influential but also focused on the practical construction of a specific type of catalog.} \\ \bullet & \text{S.R. Ranganathan: Famous for his systematic, theory-based approach to library science. He formulated a set of fundamental laws and canons (normative principles) for all aspects of library work, including classification and cataloguing (e.g., Canon of Ascertainability). His approach was to establish a scientific and theoretical basis first.} \\ \bullet & \text{IFLA: An organization that develops standards like ISBD, but it builds upon the theoretical work of individuals like Ranganathan.} \\ \end{array}\]

Step 3: Conclude. S.R. Ranganathan is the figure most associated with creating a deep, scientific, and theoretical framework of normative principles for library science, including bibliographic description.