[6] The second law of library science, "Every person his or her book," means that librarians are to serve a wide collection of patrons, acquire literature to fit a wide variety of needs, and refrain from prejudice or judging what specific patrons choose to read.

After the publication of The Five Laws of Library Science, Ranganathan named children, the physically disabled, artisans, newly literate adults, the intellectually disabled, working-class individuals, and individuals with niche interests as specific groups of potential readers that are served through the application of the second law.

[8] The fourth law of library science, "Save the time of the reader," means that all patrons should be able to easily locate the materials they desire quickly and efficiently.

There needs to be a consideration of growing physical space, but in the 21st century this has come to mean the multiple formats and platforms a collection can encompass.

[12] In 1998, Michael Gorman, a past president of the American Library Association, recommended the following laws in addition to Ranganathan's five: Gorman repeated these laws in Chapter 1 of his book Future Libraries: Dreams, Madness, & Realities, which was co-written by Walt Crawford, and in Our Singular Strengths: Meditations for Librarians.