Library General Rules and Regulations in India

India has established a secured framework to ensure libraries’ efficient and ethical functioning. The regulations established at the libraries have helped the users with their cultural development, educational research, and better access to information. Education and learning are lifelong processes, and libraries play an impressive role in contributing to those inclined towards self-directed learning and acquiring new skills and knowledge. In this article, we have accumulated the important regulations and how they enhance the functions of libraries across India.

What are the major functions protected by the established regulations in libraries?

Regulations have provided a legal framework that protects and conserves cultural heritage, including manuscripts. These frameworks abide by national laws; thus, they are named legal frameworks. Similarly, these regulations have an important role in designating the manuscripts as having national importance, and efforts are focused on preserving the materials that are culturally, historically, and academically important for the nation’s growth.

The regulations also include ethical guidelines which are to be followed during the acquisition of the manuscripts, such as:

• The acquisition process is conducted transparently and ethically
• Due respect is given to the rights of the original creators or owners of the manuscripts.

General rules followed:

• Readers are not allowed to carry personal belongings such as bags, briefcases, parcels, or any eatable items such as biscuits, cookies, drinks, tea, or coffee inside the library. If they have any belongings, they must deposit them at the security counter. Only laptops are allowed inside the library, and nothing else.
• Readers must bring their library membership card every time they visit the library; if they fail to bring the library card, their entry is forbidden.
• Smoking or Using cell phones or other digital gadgets is forbidden inside the library.
• Misplaced books are considered lost; readers are strictly advised to leave their books on the tables after reading them. They are supposed to do something other than reshelve the books themselves. This helps in preventing misfiling.
• Readers are expected to maintain peace and not disturb other readers. Loud discussions or the use of digital readers are prohibited inside the library.
• Readers must not mark, underline, highlight, write, draw in the books or documents, or tear pages from the books or documents. They are considered damages caused to the books.
• Regarding the damages, the readers are expected to handle the library properties carefully without causing any damage to the library books.

Key regulations and their significance followed at the libraries across India:

• Copyright Act, 1957:

The Indian Copyright Act, section 52(1) permits the making of up to 3 copies of a book that includes a pamphlet, sheet of music, map, chart, or plan under the supervision of the person in charge of the public library if the book is not available for sale in India.

Under section 52(1)(a), the user can make a single copy of the literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work for personal research or private study.

• Reproduction by libraries for preservation and replacement:

Under section 52(1)(n), the libraries are permitted to make copies of the works in their collection to replace, research, or preserve the works timelessly. Although the person in charge of the libraries or the committee taking care of these reproduction processes can reproduce the books or manuscripts, they are not for commercial purposes. The regulation is applied only to manuscripts where the original work is not readily available in the market.

• Books for all:

The books for all theorized law are framed to protect the rights of every class of users, which should be recognized equally irrespective of age, gender, class, location, or disability. This regulation affirms cast libraries as open, barrier-less spaces organized on radically egalitarian principles.

Conclusion:

The regulations associated with the Libraries of India protect intellectual property rights, including literary, musical, and artistic works. These regulations have been amended several times to align with the pace of technological advancements, such as digital literacy and advancing international standards. The general and ethical rules have helped protect the documents and manuscripts. Keeping them safe and reproducing them when appropriate has helped preserve literary or other forms of craft for a long period and helped the cultural and educational development.