As per the classification prescribed by S. R. Ranganathan, 'a record of phenomenon made directly unmediated by human mind can be categorised as :
Meta-documents
Ranganathan's Document Classification System
S. R. Ranganathan, a distinguished Indian mathematician and library scientist, made significant contributions to the field of library and information science. His work includes the Five Laws of Library Science and a comprehensive classification system. Ranganathan's vision of 'documents' extended beyond traditional textual materials to include various forms of recorded knowledge and information, leading to a broader classification scheme.
Meta-documents: Unmediated Records by S.R. Ranganathan
As per S. R. Ranganathan's classification, a 'record of phenomenon made directly unmediated by human mind' is categorized as a Meta-document. This classification addresses sources of information that capture data or observations directly from phenomena, without any human interpretation, thought process, or conscious creation at the initial recording stage.
- Direct Capture: Meta-documents involve the direct recording of an event or phenomenon. For instance, a seismograph records earthquake tremors directly, an X-ray plate captures an image of internal body structures without human drawing, or an astronomical photograph records light from celestial bodies.
- Absence of Human Mediation: The defining characteristic is that the human mind does not mediate the initial creation or recording of the information. While human intelligence is involved in designing the instruments or analyzing the resulting data, the raw recording process itself is automatic and objective.
- Objective Data: These documents provide raw, objective data, serving as fundamental evidence in scientific and research contexts. They are distinct from human-authored or human-interpreted documents.
Ranganathan's Document Types Explained
To fully understand the classification of Meta-documents, it's helpful to review Ranganathan's broader categorization of documents:
| Document Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional Documents | These are traditional documents that are products of human thought, intellect, and expression. They are typically textual and require human mediation in their creation. | Books, journal articles, reports, manuscripts, newspapers, theses. |
| Non-conventional Documents | These documents are not traditional textual formats but still involve human mediation in their creation or presentation. They often require specialized equipment to access. | Films, sound recordings (like music albums or oral histories), microforms, maps, photographs, computer software, data files. |
| Meta-documents | These are direct records of natural phenomena. They are created without human intellectual mediation in their initial capture, providing raw data or direct impressions. | Seismograph readings, X-ray plates, astronomical observations, weather satellite images, brain scans (MRI, CT scans), direct sensor readings. |
| Neo-conventional Documents | This term is not part of S. R. Ranganathan's established and widely recognized document classification scheme. | N/A (Not a standard Ranganathan category) |
Therefore, a 'record of phenomenon made directly unmediated by human mind' aligns precisely with Ranganathan's definition of Meta-documents, distinguishing them from other document types that involve human intellectual intervention in their creation.
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