Rebecca Knuth

 Abstract

This paper represents a study of the 24–year–old International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) with respect to its influence on school librarians in Jamaica. Nine IASL members in Jamaica were interviewed. They agreed on the value of IASL activity for their personal professional growth, for bringing new materials to their attending, for sharing ideas, and for developing a philosophy of school librarianship. The two IASL conferences held in Jamaica involved teachers and principals as well as librarians, and served to heighten awareness of the importance of libraries in the educational process. IASL has also been useful to supporting local efforts to influence government policy in favor of school library development.

 Introduction

The proliferation of transnational nongovernmental groups — of which there are now more than 20,000 — is one of the most striking phenomena of the 20th Century [1]. While these international voluntary organizations seem to be capable of bridging geographical and cultural differences in the interest of a common cause and with the mission of creating a better world, we actually know very little about the exact nature of their “impact.” Indeed, relatively little is known about the organizations themselves, including their formation, leadership, and goal accomplishment strategies; their effect on individuals, educational structures, and professional developments; and “almost anything and everything that we think we know about other types of organizations.” [2]

Because these international organizations are ubiquitous, it is important that information about them be gathered and disseminated to leaders and members and to those affected by organizational activities or those capable of promoting or discouraging organizational goals. Studies and publications to this end will improve organizations’ ability to function maximally and serve as instruments of change — particularly in Third World countries, where their support may fill a vacuum. Widespread knowledge of their goals and impact is particularly critical because most of these organizations devote significant resources toward supporting their mission in developing countries.

In 1995 a study of one such organization was carried out to address the information needs described above. The study focused on the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), a 24–year old organization that promotes a specialization in school librarianship on an international level. IASL was founded in the early 1970s to serve as an international forum for people interested in advancing library media programs in schools as valuable and effective educational instruments. lASL’s mission places the organization among others whose goals are to extend literacy and education to people throughout the world.

This article focuses on one aspect of the overall study: a series of interviews examining LASL’s impact on the field and practice of school librarianship in a Third World country — Jamaica. This component of the study and its contribution to the larger study have implications for other professional organizations and for librarianship in general in developing countries. Further, findings suggest that international organizations indeed have a positive impact and that participation in these organizations is a valid and worthwhile activity.

 Methodology

The overall study of IASL was designed to incorporate historical methods, document analysis, observations, interviews with a sampling of members, and distribution of a questionnaire to all members. Inquiry focused on the lASL’s mission, its programs, and its personal and professional meaning to members. In an effort to particularize and thereby to accurately explore overall organizational patterns, the author also studied lASL’s programs and activities on a micro–level through an investigation of their effects in Jamaica, a member country. This component of the study allowed for in–depth exploration of the real nature of IASL’s impact — its influence at personal and institutional levels. The decision was made to conduct a series of interviews with IASL members from Jamaica using an “embedded unit” design borrowed from Robert Yin, who advocates the use of this design when researchers wish to maintain a global orientation while introducing an specific unit of analysis [4].

Choosing a developing (rather than an industrialized country) for intensive analysis was based on information gained from the survey of the entire membership of IASL conducted in the early stages of the study. This survey indicated with statistically significant responses (p≤.05) that IASL members from Third World countries have a more intense commitment to the organization, rate its impact higher, and had a greater value for some of its activities than do members from industrialized countries. The embedded– unit design allowed for the author to explore these differences and to illuminate the role of IASL in school librarianship in a Third World country. Jamaica was chosen to be the unit of study because of its ongoing involvement with and commitment to IASL, because of its status as a developing country, and because of the concentrated nature of the leadership and librarianship efforts in this Caribbean nation.

Altogether, nine interviews were conducted with the following librarians in Kingston, Jamaica, in March, 1995:

Initial questions were open ended and dealt with the librarian’s personal and professional experiences as an IASL member. Later in the interviews, questions focused on the librarian’s perception of lASL’s role and impact on both Jamaican school librarianship as a whole and the profession internationally.

The report of findings from these interviews (later in this article) uses direct quotes wherever possible in order to preserve the sense and language of the Jamaicans’ input and they stand unattributed for the sake of anonymity and flow. These nine librarians — though a small sample — provided information that was consistent as well as representative of the four tiers of Jamaican school librarianship: 1) the administrative (the Jamaican Library Service and its Schools Library Service); 2) the professional (the Jamaican Library Association and the School Library Section); 3) the educational (the formal training sector: University of the West Indies and teachers’ colleges); and 4) the governmental (the Ministry of Education connection and the HEART Foundation, a government–sponsored agency).

An expectation formed prior to conducting the interviews was that findings would be reported in terms of these same four categories. Analysis of the interview data however, led to an organizing principle based instead on the author’s appreciation of LASL’s roles in the professional life of the individual librarian, in promoting concepts of school librarianship as a very real educational force, and in the development of school library policy. Therefore, an overview of Jamaican school librarianship and Jamaican participation in IASL will precede discussion of the interview findings, providing a framework for discussion of findings with respect to the impact of IASL, grouped chronologically by subjects covered in each interview.

 An Overview of Jamaican School Librarianship and Jamaican Involvement in IASL

Jamaicans claim a special relationship with IASL based on the fact that the organization held its inaugural meeting in their country in 1971 and their continuous participation ever since. Excepting 1973 and 1974 meetings, Jamaicans have attended every annual conference for 23 years. Throughout the seventies, only one representative (Amy Robertson) attended the conferences but since 1980 between two and seven Jamaicans have attended each year, with a record 116 attending the 1985 conference in Kingston. Out of a pool of 85 countries, Jamaica has the sixth highest rate of IASL conference attendances. Further, Jamaicans have held prominent positions of leadership in IASL. Robertson was the first director representing the Caribbean region, and later served as IASL president for two terms. (Joyce Wallen and Beatrice Anderson, both from Jamaica, have also been directors.) Jamaicans have presented papers at IASL conferences and participated on committees. In 1985, they hosted the annual conference, and they plan to host a special conference in 1996 to celebrate the twenty–fifth anniversary of the organization.

IASL information circulates effectively throughout Jamaican librarianship. Reports from IASL representatives are a regular feature on the agendas of Jamaica Library Association meetings. Materials and documents produced by IASL form the basis for many of the training programs conducted at the University of the West Indies, at the various teachers’ colleges, and through the Jamaica Library Service. Jamaican IASL members have been and remain active at every level of school librarianship in Jamaica, from individual schools to the Ministry of Education.

Jamaican libraries are highly centralized under the authority of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture. Since 1948, the Jamaican Library Service (JLS) has provided wide–ranging public library services for the people of Jamaica. The Schools Library Service (SLS), a component of JLS, was established in 1952 to provide rotating collections specifically for the schools, of which it currently serves 916. Thus, while there are separate budgets for the operation of school and public library services in Jamaica, the services fall under the same administrative structure. The development of school libraries has been greatly influenced by leaders in the public library service [5].

The Jamaica Library Service has played an important role in Jamaican librarianship and is a parent to almost every library in the country. Librarians have been influenced by JLS through experiences on the job, JLS training courses, field visits, and orientations. For instance, many past and present professors at the library school of the University of the West Indies have worked at some time for JLS. Jamaican librarians have tight connections with each other, and often have been described as close knit or “like a fraternity.” One participant at an IASL conference observed that fellow Jamaican librarans tend to “cling together”; she added that every Jamaican member seemed o be a student of another member or a former colleague from JLS.

Within this internal network, the Jamaica Library Service is the seminal force in Jamaican librarianship. IASL participation seems also to serve a unifying junction for school librarianship, providing a basis for action, a philosophy, with incentives that weave together the efforts of leaders from the various institutions and organizations. This unity is necessary given the difficulty of promoting educational change in a Third World country.

Despite the cohesiveness of librarians and their efforts, school librarianship an the whole progresses slowly in Jamaica due to a chronic lack of resources. Leaders are working to have school libraries included in the “Five Year Education Plan for Jamaica Library Service and Schools Library Service,” which is being proposed by the government and will cover the period 1995–2000. However, due to financial restraints, the Jamaica Library Service has had problems sustaining its programs. Both JLS and the Schools Library Service have suffered severe cutbacks in collection development, and at present SLS has “almost nothing to put in school libraries.” Programs go on, though in substantially reduced forms. Though once JLS provided island–wide seminars on school librarianship for principals and teacher–librarians, now only one region per year receives seminar funding.

School library people in Jamaica seem to rise above the constraints of resources; they exude a sense of pride and purpose, and the school library world in Jamaica has been characterized as small but vital. Leaders strive to keep training programs alive and to work toward a brighter future. A proposal submitted as a component of the Primary Education Improvement Project sponsored in coordination with the International Development Bank (IDE) will lead to the acquisition of 195,000 books, which will allow for the establishment of new school libraries by the end of the project. Those working in the area of school librarianship in Jamaica appear to have tapped into sources that have allowed them to retain their focus and vitality in the face of economic stagnancy.

At the core of these efforts to keep school librarianship alive in Jamaica is a group of key leaders who play many roles in nurturing school libraries. Because of their country’s small size, these concentrated efforts have had great effects. An example is Beatrice Anderson, who is a lecturer at Mico Teacher’s College, the chair of the School Library Section of the Jamaica Library Association, and an active figure in working with the Ministry of Education on school library policy. Anderson has served two terms as IASL Director for the Caribbean region. Another example is Amy Robertson, who worked for the JLS and was a university professor in library studies; she now supports librarianship from retirement. Robertson was a founding member of IASL and twice served as president.

As these two examples illustrate, the core of leadership has multiple ties with IASL through individuals who serve as liaisons for IASL programs. Because of the nature of the close network in Jamaica, information and ideas collected at conferences are quickly disseminated at home; in the words of one librarian, information is “put into the stream.” When they return, conference participants report on what they have learned in public forums, such as Jamaica Library Association meetings, so that those who have not attended the conference nevertheless get a chance to hear what happened. One librarian described this as a “multiplier effect,” with information acquired not limited to those who attend conferences, but shared with the entire Jamaica Library Association. Photographs, exhibits, and reports foster a process whereby

For example, Joan Hay, an IASL member and head of the Schools Library Service, conducts training sessions around the entire island. As individuals, participating IASL members interface at the social level and with the community at large, through exhibitions and participation in church, agriculture, and health–related activities. One frequent conference attender commented, “So whatever you derive from attendance at the international association, it’s going right back to the entire system.”

Jamaica functions as a library leader within the English–speaking Caribbean through its professional organizations and the presence of the library program at the University of the West Indies. While Jamaica struggles to get the resources needed to sustain and improve its own library programs, nevertheless it has leadership and (as observed by one Jamaican) it has “librarians who know what it is to have proper libraries in the school.” IASL exists in Jamaica because of the efforts of these individuals whose work in multiple roles ripples throughout librarianship in the region. IASL has in turn sustained the personal and professional growth of this leadership and helped to create a consciousness of what school librarianship might become in Jamaica. The importance of this consciousness is summed up in the saying, “If you can’t imagine what could be at the end of the road, it’s hard to get there.”

 The Jamaican Interviews: Findings
IASL and the Individual Member’s Personal Growth

The vitality of Jamaican school librarianship may be fueled in part by Jamaican members’ participation in IASL conferences and subsequent influence in their home region. Since school librarianship in Jamaica is so dependent on the individual, it follows that an important source of “impact” is the effect that participation in IASL has on members. Members receive publications, serve as officers, and utilize IASL documents; a small group attends conferences. Among this group there is a certain amount of fun and fellowship and a sense of pride in representing one’s country at an international conference; sometimes the group is referred to as the “Jamaica Posse.” The conference means time for personal replenishment, time to step back and think about school libraries, time to share and grow professionally, time to build personal and professional relationships, and the opportunity to get to know new places and cultures. One librarian expressed it in these words:

Members are drawn to IASL conferences because of the special kind of experience these meetings provide. Their focus is directly and exclusively on school librarianship — unlike meetings of general library organizations, where school librarianship competes for program time. A school librarian at such a conference once observed that “you have to be fighting the people literally to get them to pay any attention at all to school libraries.” At general conferences, librarians who work with children sometimes feel denigrated; at IASL conferences, however, all members feel like they are respected professionals. One Jamaican believes that she has more of a “voice” in IASL because it is a small specialized organization; participation is freer than in organizations where delegates have to be nominated or sponsored. Questions can be easily asked and an intimacy exists in which it is possible “to find somebody and say, speak into their ears about your problems or whatever.”

The Jamaicans interviewed believe that lASL’s smaller conferences (usually 100–250 people attend) result in a feeling of closeness and a decreased sense of being “lost” — a sensation experienced at larger, less personal conferences. Further, this sense of community is a source of emotional support the rest of the year. One librarian talked about the letters she received after the hurricane in 1988. It made her feel good when concerned people on the other side of the ocean “were holding out a hand to you ... [I had] a real warm feeling that somebody cared ... librarianship cared.” Several other members also mentioned personal ties, and one said that she felt a deeper professional development resulting from her IASL friendships.

Jamaican members express a sense of pride in being part of IASL, the premier body for school libraries internationally and an advocate for school libraries worldwide.

For some, IASL participation fosters a sense of solidarity within the profession and provides a philosophy of school librarianship. For others, the conference is an opportunity to interact with international scholars and practitioners in an informal way, to have “presence” as professionals. “We are a small country, but in many ways we like to feel that we think big.”

 IASL and the Educational and Professional Development of Jamaican Members

Jamaican attendance at IASL conferences represents a deep commitment to professional growth. Librarians attending conferences “pick up new ideas, new thoughts — it’s an education course for some of us.” Some of this exposure occurs through conference presentations, workshops and especially library visitations, the value of which one Jamaican described this way: “You can tell people about things, but you visit somewhere like we visit all these libraries, and right away things come home to you in quite a different way.” Conferences make learning an ongoing process, meeting a need that many librarians feel distinctly. As one Jamaican said, “As a librarian I feel I must be constantly learning.” And a university professor said, it’s important to keep the input coming in or you “fall by the wayside” — it is very easy for your knowledge to become outdated when you live so far away. This professor described a conference where “I really got interested in information skills. I got insight into it ... ” She began writing about information skills and in lectures on this subject used a syllabus she had picked up at an IASL conference. She gave her students excerpts from lASL–acquired materials and presented a paper at a local conference. This IASL member felt her growth was a model for students, who, she said, can sense when professors have new ideas. Another Jamaican felt that her competency as a lecturer has been greatly enhanced from my involvement with IASL. And I think the quality of the teacher librarians that we are turning out is far better than when I started because of, you know, exposure to the type of materials and expertise that I have had.

For many of the Jamaicans, conferences offerings are “inspirational” or “stimulating.” For one, a workshop on storytelling helped her to approach it in a fresh and creative way. Another participant commented that without the stimulation of IASL, frustration and unhappiness can set in, because “you’re not moving”; “without a body like IASL you could just flop.” IASL provides opportunities to know about school libraries worldwide, which in turn allow Jamaicans to assess events in their country and compare them with events in other countries. Comparison helps in problem–solving and also in realizing that one’s problems are not as bad, or as unique, as one thinks. Perhaps this is why one Jamaican librarian said that “conferences are rather encouraging.” After learning about the constraints facing other people, Jamaicans have realized that they are not the only ones facing certain problems. The problems are universal in both developing and developed countries. In IASL the emphasis is on solidarity and on collective efforts in sharing problems and finding solutions. It is a

Many regular conference participants are involved in training programs in their home countries especially in Jamaica, where “training is something that everyone is involved in.” According to one participant,

Conference participants return home with a reinforced sense of purpose and a wider perspective, which together renews their efforts in school librarianship. As one participant commented “What I am doing is important because it’s not just a little one–a–penny, two–a–penny thing I am doing here, but its part of a bigger thing.” They come back and look at their libraries and work in a different way; they have had time to think, to listen to people, to look at what other countries offer, to deal with new ideas. While only a portion of the ideas Jamaicans pick up at conferences can be immediately implemented or adapted, they feel the acquisition of knowledge is desirable in itself. One librarian talked of the importance of maintaining a “critical awareness” of the current state of learning. Citing knowledge of technology, another stated that “you need to know how much of it you need to know.” Several Jamaicans commented on the need to make administrative decisions from a level of competency, which is best fostered through continued professional development programs and discussions with other professionals. For some members, attendance at conferences brings multiple levels of interaction with professionals from different walks of life and different countries; the sharing of these experiences provides tremendous scope for professional growth.

 IASL as a Source for Materials and Information

Librarians from Third World countries have limited access to current publications and professional journals. IASL helps to meet their broad information needs through its publications and newsletter. In Jamaica the IASL Newsletter is very important because “in a small country like this you need to know what goes on in the rest of the world.” One Jamaican librarian described the IASL Newsletter as “friendly”:

Jamaicans also find practical use for the publication of annual conference proceedings, which sometimes are the “only document we have that refers to an idea or a concept we want to communicate to students.”

Since Jamaica is still developing its programs, it needs comparative materials to select the best features of school librarianship to implement. Librarians in the Caribbean feel “kind of isolated”; they do not necessarily know what is happening and they feel far away from the source of professional journals. IASL helps them to keep current, to make contacts, to build relationships. “IASL has been very vital in keeping us looking out to see what people are doing.”

The conferences provide a forum for information dissemination within which Jamaican IASL members are exposed to materials and ideas that they can take home and “throw into their work.” Participants collect materials and handouts and serve as conduits for information. At home, their sharing of this information through local seminars, presentations, training sessions, exhibits, and distribution of photocopies has a “positive impact.”

Materials acquired at IASL are fed into the system and circulated extensively. A conference–acquired copy of the video “Information Power” has been used “all over.” [5] Jamaicans responsible for training programs especially appreciate the educational materials that IASL has been collecting and circulating, because these materials have been “tried and tested” in various countries. Materials and ideas coming with “testimonies” from other IASL members provide a strong incentive for utilization.

 IASL as a Source for Materials and Information

Formal presentations, information exchange, publication programs, and provision of materials are part of a larger process of sharing that IASL fosters. Members share with each other their “successes and joys and frustration too.” Each member brings unique contributions to the conference and leaves with new understanding growing out of their individual interests and objectives. In the words of three different Jamaican librarians:

IASL activities build self–esteem. One librarian, when first involved in the organization, worried about what she, being “from a poor Third World country,” “was really giving, what I could give.” But it became obvious to her that it is valuable for those from small countries to share how they have solved particular problems. One school library professional from Jamaica gave some materials to a lady from Africa and remarked “So even in our limited situation we have been able to share something of what we have with others as others share with us.” She cited lASL’s Instructional Materials for Leadership Training Program as a significant help in the exchange of materials. Sharing is an important part of the IASL philosophy. Jamaicans appreciate the camaraderie and the friendly, practical sessions, where librarians exchange views and ideas and where all members can feel free to either ask or answer questions. When Jamaicans tell about their country,their culture, and their library experiences, they are listened to seriously and at the same time learn about other countries.

 Educational Implications of School Libraries

IASL exposes Jamaicans to a philosophy and conceptual or theoretical framework that places school libraries squarely in the educational mainstream. Jamaicans members have internalized this philosophy, articulated it in their context and now disseminate a sense of the educational implications of school librarianship. The realization of the educational importance of libraries has provided a meaningful basis for their efforts. Jamaicans absorb IASL philosophy, the goals of which one member described as being

This philosophy, combined with the problems surrounding education and literacy efforts in a Third World country, have brought a sense of urgency to the members of IASL in this country. “We need to speak out” one says, because if Jamaica begins with libraries within the schools, then the products of the school system will be better. “We cannot move into the 21st century with an illiterate population, and we have to begin with the little ones.”

Jamaican IASL members describe their efforts as a “battle to get educators, people who are responsible for the education of our children, to understand what librarians do” — specifically as educators in the system. Librarians link education, literacy, and learning with reading, and are aware of

Leading Jamaican librarians view libraries as critical in the overall educational program of the school, since reading both creates and feeds language skills, attention skills, and thinking activities.

While also stressing the importance of recreational reading, both public and school librarians realize that, in Jamaica, the role of school libraries is more important from an educational point of view than from a recreational one. Libraries in schools help to create a literate society and have a ripple effect on public libraries. While there is an increased consciousness of the importance of school libraries in education, at the same time there is retrenchment and a lack of funds. Thus placing an educational rationale (“Talking the educational part first”) in Jamaica is of practical importance: it is more likely to produce the funding that is needed for better training, proper library infrastructure, books, and materials.

 An Increased Awareness of the Need for School Libraries

“Getting awareness going is a particularly acute need in a developing country — because school libraries come last.” Jamaican librarians appear to be making progress in promulgating the educational mission of school libraries and nurturing an increased interest in the possibilities these libraries hold. One Jamaican attributes this to “the ongoing interest and push of the people who have been encouraged and stimulated by going to IASL meetings over the years ... these people are on top and have been stimulated all along.” They have placed discussion of IASL initiatives on the monthly agenda for the Jamaica Library Association. Jamaican IASL members regularly conduct seminars for teachers and principals, which have resulted in “new light” — “teachers are now aware of the importance of libraries within the schools, and we drum it into them when they come in for these seminars.”

The two IASL conferences held in Jamaica resulted in wide publicity and heightened consciousness of school librarianship in the country. By involving teachers and principals, the conferences reinforced the vital role of school libraries. With both conferences, Jamaican librarians saw the benefit to be had by taking advantage of the presence of an international body meeting in their country. IASL is covering school librarianship — not just the practitioners but the policy makers. When in a small country this group or international body is involved, it’s a big something ... it says something.

Conferences lead to a greater sense of awareness of what the school library is really for and what it can do. At the 1985 conference,

One participant believes that the 1985 conference conveyed a feeling to all school librarians that what they were doing was important, because

In reminiscing, this Jamaican elaborated on the importance of the conference further.

The IASL conferences held in Jamaica have raised awareness of school libraries not just among the committed organization members, but also at the level of governments in the region. One librarian who has worked with policymakers within the government described the effect as follows.

Consciousness of school librarianship is “like a little fire that has started that we hope will grow and grow.”

 IASL Members and Jamaican School Library Policy–Making

In the absence of legislation, Jamaican librarians have tried to affect policy through persuasion with members using their influence in education and librarianship at the policy–making level, particularly with Ministry of Education officials. IASL has been useful in supporting local efforts and through its publications and statements has provided fodder for policy initiatives.

The 1985 IASL conference in Jamaica was helpful in involving government officials and raising the profile of school librarianship in Jamaica. But in a sense, government involvement happens on a yearly basis when the government provides money for attendance at annual IASL conferences. Sponsorship through this process affirms the importance of school libraries. And conversely, Jamaican attendances at the conferences endorse the work of Jamaican school library professionals. IASL members come back with a framework, a sense of the ideals of school librarianship, a sense that the best school libraries have certain things in place and function best under certain conditions. After mastering these concepts, Jamaicans know “what to go for” and can “adjust sensibly” to local resource limitations.

IASL members have helped in fostering a “climate of consciousness,” in part through consensus about certain principles of school librarianship. IASL documents and conference presentations and materials have provided support for arguments and initiatives, and lended legitimacy by its status as an international organization. When Jamaican members of IASL take proposals to the Ministry of Education, these proposals are not based on “just some thought that is coming out of your head, but it is something that a number of countries subscribe to, have agreed to, and have taken on as policy.” Credibility is heightened when efforts are sanctioned by an international professional organization.

Jamaican librarians understand the importance of government policy in promoting school libraries. The theme they chose for the 1985 Kingston conference illustrated this understanding: “Library and Information: Toward a Policy for Schools.” Jamaicans involved in ongoing attempts to influence decision–makers as to the importance of libraries feel that they have gained a “listening ear.” In a significant act of support, the Ministry of Education has created and filled a position for a new education officer with responsibility for school libraries. The presence of Eileen Marshall, a member of IASL, in such a position of influence in the Ministry is “a big thing” for school librarianship. She is involved with other librarians in discussions at the ministerial level concerning the inclusion of school library issues — such as the need to teach library skills at the teacher training colleges — into the five–year development plan for education.

Jamaicans feel that school librarianship is making in–roads at the policy level and in terms of public awareness. The government appears to be committed to accommodating the concept of school libraries, but at the same time will not provide the financing to make it a reality. While implementation of plans to improve school library services and training are hampered by financial restraints, it appears to some librarians that the government accepts “the point of what we say” and overall there is a sense of hope. IASL is perceived as having been “sideline visible all these years.”

 Conclusions

The Jamaica interviews that have been summarized in preceding sections provide important insights in the ratings that school librarians from Third World countries assigned to the impact of IASL in the survey of the organization’s membership that was conducted earlier [3]. These ratings were significantly higher (ps <.05) than the ratings given by members from industrialized countries. It appears that, while lASL’s primary impact in industrialized countries is on an individual level, its impact on Third World countries is multi–layered.

It may be that lASL’s real impact in Jamaica has been in 1) “pump–priming” efforts and small infusions of funds and information, and 2) nurturing a core of leaders through “encouragement programs” to sustain a vision of school librarianship. IASL does what it can and in the past, Jamaican teacher–librarians have been sponsored for one–year free memberships through the Support–a–Friend Program and the UNESCO Gift Book Program has provided money for the purchase and placement of books in several Jamaican libraries. Upon receiving funds for the purchase of 600 books, a teacher–librarian, Rosemary Grossett, at Franklin Town Primary School, said:

While helpful on one level, these activities are secondary to the role IASL has played in the personal and professional development of a cadre of school library leaders in Jamaica. These leaders, who come from all tiers of school librarianship activities in Jamaica, nurture and sustain Jamaican school libraries. They fulfill multiple roles and have an intensified effect, partly as a result of the smallness of the country.

IASL first impacts Jamaican school librarianship on the individual librarian’s personal, educational, and professional development through her attendance at conferences and direct participation in the organization’s activities. Then, through these librarians and their affiliation with an organization of international status, the following areas undergo significant changes:

1. professional development of librarians in the country;
2. the training and education for school librarianship and the growth of consciousness about school librarianship and its importance for education; and,
3. the development of school library policy.

Of course, the direction of influence is two ways. Not only does Jamaica benefit from IASL, but Jamaica has provided the organization with a venue for conferences, leaders (a two–term resident and several directors), conference speakers, committee members, and a steady contingent of conference participants. Affiliation may be the key to lASL’s impact in Jamaica. The school library community there is highly concentrated, and includes services within the public library system and the schools, activities within the Jamaican Library Association, and library education institutions. IASL nurtures key individuals within this tight network of people, who work together on professional and training activities as well as on efforts to affect policy. Affiliation with IASL links Jamaicans with the professional world of school librarianship on an international scale. IASL allows escape from parochialism through exploration of a wide range of ideas and practices and offers a chance to see the directions the profession is taking in many other countries.

The prestige of affiliation with IASL as an international organization affirms members’ professional pride and generates for them a sense of participation in a larger movement. Access to lASL’s materials, rhetoric, philosophy, and support serves to combat the alienation and discouragement that inevitably accompany literacy and education efforts in Third World countries. In the eyes of both the individual Jamaican librarian and government policy–makers, participation in IASL gives Jamaican school librarianship enhanced visibility and legitimacy and has raised awareness levels concerning the role and importance of school libraries in national literacy initiatives. While supporting the growth of the individual librarian, lASL’s most potent impact in developing countries may come from its effectiveness in supporting the individual librarian as a conduit for institutional change.

 Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge my dissertation research committee—Daniel Callison (Chairman), B. Edward McClellan, David Kaser, George Whitbeck— and the wonderful librarians of Jamaica.

 References

1. Eloise Boulding, “The Old and the New Transnationalism: An Evolutionary Perspective,” Human Relations 44–8 (1991): 789–805.

2. D.L. Cooperrider and W.A. Pasmore, “The Organizational Dimension of Global Change,” Human Relations 44–8 (1991): 763–787.

3. Rebecca Knuth, “Convergence and Global Ethics: The International Association of School Librarianship and the Worldwide Promotion of School Libraries” (Doctoral Dissertation, Indiana University, 1995).

4. Robert Yin, Case Study Research: Design and Methods (Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, 1994).

5. Ruth Cassandra Henry, “Dilemma of Development: School Libraries in Jamaica” (Doctoral Dissertation, Columbia University, 1982).

6. American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (Chicago: American Library Association, 1988).

 About the Author

Rebecca Knuth is Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Hawaii. She has an M.L.I.S. from Hawaii and a Ph.D. in library and information science from Indiana University. Dr. Knuth has published articles in IFLA Journal, International Information and Library Review, and a number of other journals. She is an active participant in international conferences, and recently made a presentation in Quebec. Among her interests are school libraries, reading, and children’s literature.

© 1996 Rebecca Knuth.

Citation

Knuth, Rebecca, “The Impact of an International Professional Organization on School Librarianship in Jamaica,” Third World Libraries, Volume 6, Number 2 (Spring 1996).