The Effect on Developing Countries of Hosting an International Conference: A Content Analysis
Abstract
This article discusses a common practice of international organizations: the rotation of conference venues and the scheduling of conferences in developing countries. A 1995 study of a small international professional organization, the International Association of School Librarianship, found that this practice has a major effect on the profession within the developing country hosting a conference. Through conferences, organizations disseminate information, stimulate professional development and leadership skills, provide access for local practitioners, and legitimatize the profession. In turn, hosting conferences allows developing countries a chance to counterbalance the dominance of an organization by Western members and academic concerns. Results from a content analysis of the IASL conference proceedings, 1972–93, reveal that conference venue has had an impact on conference topics and themes. Because hosting a conference means selecting themes and papers for inclusion, IASL members from developing countries who take on this task have helped ensure that the literature of school librarianship is as diverse as its member countries and provides relevant information from a variety of perspectives.
Introduction
International professional organizations, which have proliferated since World War II, incorporate many of the common forms and structures of national organizations. Yet they vary structurally and philosophically because of an intersection of mission (the promotion of a profession) with tenets of internationalism (perception of the world as diverse, yet interconnected). Normal functions of a professional organization include promoting models of practice and disseminating professional information; the context of these functions changes, however, as organizational structures are modified to incorporate international perspectives. These modifications affect miss statements, goals, objectives, statutes, policies, and representation. Newsletters, publications, and conferences have a different scope and role than they do in national groups, and resources are allocated differently. Many of the modifications are geared toward promoting the profession in developing countries through provision of financial and structural aid, support of the professional development of practitioners, and sponsorship of projects address inequities and local needs.
With the proliferation of international organizations has come recognition of our relative ignorance of these structural modifications and the ultimate impact of such organizations. Using multiple methods (including archival study, interviews, a survey, and content analysis), a 1995 case study addressed questions of the impact of one international professional organization, the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), on the promotion of its profession—school librarianship—and on its individual members.1 The study focused on the organization’s impact in developing countries. Perceptions of impact by members from these countries were found to be statistically different from perceptions submitted by members from developed countries.
This article continues the discussion of IASL begun in the 1995 study, focusing on the practice of scheduling conferences in developing countries. A general overview of the effect on a developing country of hosting a conference is followed by a description of the 1995 study’s content analysis of IASL conference proceedings between the years 1972 and 1993. Comparison of conferences in developing countries with those in developed countries indicates that venue markedly affects the content of conference presentations; further, the content analysis indicates that “impact” of an international organization works two ways: conferences have an effect on developing countries, and in turn the developing countries influence the organization.
The Annual Conference
International organizations have used annual conferences for the usual administrative, professional, and social reasons. But conferences also underscore and reinforce the internationalism of the group and serve as educational forums for world citizenship.2 IASL’s conferences are held in a different country every year, the venue chosen within the constraints of the willingness and capability of local organizers to undertake arrangements. Scheduling takes into consideration geographical and cultural factors as well as the recognized need to regularly schedule conferences in developing countries. Frequent attenders are attracted by varied locations, the settings providing a sub–theme to professional themes. Typically, an attractive or exotic setting boosts attendance. Hosting a conference also leads to a surge of membership within the host country.
At the conferences, business is conducted through committee meetings, reports, and decision–making and planning sessions for the leadership. The “culture” of the organization thrives in rituals, ceremonies, and social events. Professional information is disseminated formally and informally through presentations, exhibits, and the exchange of printed materials. Participants try to extend their professional knowledge and keep abreast of developments and trends. They network on personal and professional levels, share information, and engage in dialogue about the profession.
Hosting an IASL conference affects school librarianship in a developing country on many levels. Library clerks and teacher–librarians have access to a professional meeting on a scale rarely possible at the local level. This facilitates professional interest and development, with the conference functioning as a window to up–to–date information. In hosting the conference (a project which begins several years before the event itself), local leaders are given the opportunity to exercise leadership and develop planning skills. Conference coordinators must give speeches, handle social events in conjunction with the conference, seek out money sources, and coordinate with government officials. Local planning committees bring together members from diverse academic, social, and governmental institutions, including national library systems and national associations, and stimulate the development of a cooperative cadre of leaders. The visibility this networking gives to local leaders can greatly increase their opportunities for travel money and leadership development grants.
Gains in professional development, personal confidence, and pride result in empowerment with a long–term payoff for local librarianship and the individual school library person. For example, the 1977 conference in Ibadan, Nigeria, resulted in the formation of the Nigerian School Library Association. Sponsoring an international conference legitimizes the role of the profession within the country, highlights regional issues and funding needs, and attracts the attention of policy makers within the government. For these reasons, groups such as IASL deliberately involve government officials in conference activities (see Table 1).
Table 1
Year, Venue, Theme, Sponsors, and Local Institutional and Government Involvement in
Opening Ceremonies of IASL Conferences in Developing Countries
| Year | Venue | Theme | Sponsors | Local Involvement |
| 1973 | Nairobi, Kenya | School Libraries as a Basic Tool for Teaching | E.African Library Association; Audio–Visual and Adult Education Associations; International Reading Association | Minister for Cooperatives and Social Services; Minister of Education; Chairman of Board of Kenyan National Library Services |
| 1974 | Singapore | Developing School Library Programs to Meet the Educational Needs of Students | National Library | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education |
| 1977 | Ibadan, Nigeria | School Libraries & Cultural Involvement | Ibadan University | Commissioner for Education, Oyo State; Military Governor for Oyo Slate |
| 1980 | Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela | Present Situation and Perspectives of School Libraries in Latin America and Other Regions | Banco del Libra, School of Librarianship (Central University); National Library | Representative of the Venezuelan Corporation of Guyana; Vice Minister of Education |
| 1985 | Kingston, Jamaica | Libraries and Information: Toward a Policy for Schools | Jamaica Library Association; UNESCO | Ministry of State for Culture; Office of the Prime Minister; Ministry of Education; Reception by the Governor General |
| 1989 | Subang Java, Malaysia | The School Library: Center for Life–Long Learning | Educational Media Association of Kuala Lumpur; Library Association of Malaysia | Minister of Education |
Perhaps the greatest advantage to the conference host country is the opportunity for local school library people to participate in and shape professional dialogue. According to Margaret Mead and Paul Byers, conferences involve age-old practices of congregating, listening, persuading, exhorting, and reaching understanding.3 Mead and Byers state that, when used in a conscious and disciplined way, conferences promote a new kind of communication suited to demands for rapid communication among individuals of different academic, social, national, cultural, and ideological orientations. IASL emphasizes the needs and concerns of members from developing countries in order for the association to provide a meaningful forum for exchange of ideas and materials among all its members, as well as an international channel for understanding among librarians and educators. Despite inequities between developed and developing countries, the goal of international organizations is equality and participation.
One of the primary struggles for international organizations is the issue of representation. Approximately eighty–five countries have had participants at IASL conferences. These countries can be grouped into three levels of participation: low level (1–9 attendances over the years), medium level (15–81 attendances), and high level (158–1,067 attendances). Sixty–seven countries fall in the low group, eleven in the medium group, and seven in the high group. In overall figures, the United States has the highest level of participation with 1,067 attendances, almost double that of the next highest, Australia, with 567. Most developing countries fall into the low participation group, with sporadic representation. Except for South Africa, the only developing countries that fall into the medium and high participation groups are those that have hosted a conference, namely, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, Jamaica, Malaysia, and Venezuela. Participation typically clusters in the year of the conference.
Participation by host–country nationals balances a tendency towards domination by representatives from Western countries, especially from the United States. According to the 1995 study, a yearly average of 30% of IASL conference participants comes from the United States. In the past, when a developing country hosted, the percentages of local participants soared: Nigeria in 1977 (84% Nigerian participation), Venezuela in 1980 (87% Venezuelan), Jamaica in 1985 (62% Jamaican), and Malaysia in 1989 (59% Malaysian). The percentages of American participants dropped to 6%, 4%, 18%, and 18% respectively. Thus conference venue profoundly affects the composition of conference participants. The heavy presence of local school library&38211;oriented people is one of the strongest arguments for rotating the site of the conference.
Equality is further fostered by the ability of the host country to set the theme of the conference, select presenters and discussion topics, and influence the content of conferences to address local needs. (See Table 1 for locations and themes of IASL conferences.) For example, at the 1985 Jamaica conference, the high–profile theme “Libraries and Information: Towards a Policy for Schools” was featured in every aspect of the conference. UNESCO provided funds to bring in Caribbean school library people for the conference and sponsored seminar sessions on developing policy for the Caribbean region. Similarly, school library development within the particular region was highlighted at the 1980 Venezuela conference, as reflected by its theme: “Present Situations and Perspectives of School Library Development in Latin America and Other Regions.”
A content–analysis component of the 1995 study considered the ability of the host to affect the topics presented at a conference and the thrust of professional dialogue for that year in further detail. A summary and a discussion of this analysis follow.
The Content Analysis
Annual publication of IASL conference proceedings has occurred since the first conference in London in 1972; until 1992, the proceedings included all speeches and papers presented at each conference. Besides increasing the visibility and credibility of IASL, the proceedings contributed to a knowledge base about school librarianship worldwide. Thus, the proceedings represent the professional dialogue of international school librarianship over more than two decades. A content analysis of the twenty–two volumes of conference proceedings (1972 to 1993) resulted in the identification of topics, themes, and patterns indicative of member interests and association emphasis as well as broad subject–matter trends.
Methodology
Bernard Berelson’s classic definition of content analysis is “a research technique for the objective, systematic, and quantitative description of the manifest content of communication”.4 Content analysis employs an explicitly organized plan for assembling data, classifying or quantifying the data to measure the concepts of interest, examining patterns and interrelationships, and interpreting the findings.5 In the IASL study, quantification was based on a unit defined as an article or section of the published conference proceedings that was over two pages long, was whole (i.e., not an excerpt), and was not an addendum. The purpose of the analysis was to trace themes over time, using the methods of content analysis to uncover latent relationships and processes.6
The twenty–two volumes of proceedings produced 403 units. Twenty–one different themes were identified, and the units coded accordingly. The themes fell into four basic topics: School Libraries, Cultural Aspects, Educational Aspects, and Professional Aspects. The units were coded inclusively (i.e., coded for all themes significantly addressed within a unit rather than restrictively, assigning one theme per unit), in the hope that the richness of information would offset the lack of quantitative reliability that is desirable in most content analysis. Table 2 lists the four topics and twenty–one themes
Table 2
Basic Topics and Themes Used to Analyze the Content
of IASL Annual Conference Proceedings, 1972–1993
| Topics and Themes of Content in Conference Proceedings | |
| 1.0 | School Libraries |
| 1.1 | Purpose, definition, and organization of school libraries/role of librarians/models/programs |
| 1.2 | Standards/Evaluation |
| 1.3 | Problems of school libraries/censorship/selection policy |
| 1.4 | Development of school libraries in particular countries: conditions, statistics, staff, facilities |
| 1.5 | School libraries and the developing world |
| 1.6 | Government (federal or state/province) involvement & policy/finance |
| 1.7 | Regional & district administration/centralized support systems/networks/resources sharing/principals/mobile libraries |
| 2.0 | Cultural Aspects |
| 2.1 | Literacy/reading habit |
| 2.2 | Book scarcity and production/donations/local children’s literature/multicultural and migrant literature |
| 2.3 | Access and services: handicapped, ESL, special populations/bilingual education |
| 2.4 | Public–school library links/community/parents/museums/student assistants/volunteers |
| 2.5 | Reading and reading promotion/literature/Book Weeks/enrichment/TV/media |
| 3.0 | Educational Aspects |
| 3.1 | Teacher/teachers’ methods and training/educational change: from textbooks to individualized and resource–based teaching |
| 3.2 | Curriculum/library skills/instruction/assessment/cooperative teaching and planning/integrated learning |
| 3.3 | Technology/computers/information technology and skills/databases |
| 4.0 | Professional Aspects |
| 4.1 | Education, certification, and training (school librarians)/staff development |
| 4.2 | Research |
| 4.3 | Professional organizations: functions and roles in promotion/professional journals |
| 4.4 | International associations/IASL/UNESCO/IFLA/WCOTP/projects |
After coding, the proceedings were separated into three roughly even time periods and the total number of unit codes assigned for each theme was tabulated; subtotals for each of the four topics were derived from the first tabulation. (The total number of unit codes assigned exceeded 403, the number of units studied, as explained earlier.) Percentages were then calculated to determine the representation of each theme and each topic in relation to the number of units of study (i.e., not in relation to the total number of codes assigned). Similar calculations were performed on the data in relation to the venue of the conference—whether in a developing country, a CUA country (Canada, the United States, and Australia), or a European country—making it possible to see whether venue seemed to affect topics and themes presented in conference papers. Also, overall representation of each theme throughout the history of the organization was calculated as a percent of the twenty–two conferences being studied. These figures permit broad comparative statements but not the determination of statistically significant differences.
Findings
Table 3
Topic Representation as a Percent of Units Studied in the
IASL Annual Proceedings, 1972–1993
| TOPIC AREAS N=67 | 1972–1978 N=146 | 1979–1985 N=190 | 1986–1993 N=403 | Overall 1972–1993 |
| School Libraries | 93% (62) | 56% (82) | 42% (80) | 56% (224) |
| Cultural Aspects | 36% (24) | 49% (72) | 51% (96) | 48% (192) |
| Educational Aspects | 36% (24) | 21% (30) | 36% (68) | 30% (122) |
| Professional Aspects | 33% (22) | 34% (50) | 36% (68) | 35% (140) |
Table 3 contains a summary of the calculations described above. Overall, “School Libraries” has been the most addressed topic, followed by “Cultural Aspects”, “Educational Aspects”, and “Professional Aspects”. As Table 2 showed, the topic “School Libraries” involves the institutionalization of school libraries. Themes involving the topic “School Libraries” have, in the overall picture, been represented in 56% of the proceedings’ articles. By looking at the breakdown into time periods, one can see that the topic was extremely popular in the first time period (93%) and has decreased in popularity thereafter (56%, 42%). This may reflect a preoccupation in the early years of the organization with the dissemination of information about school library models and development—a common characteristic of fledgling organizations. In the 1980s and 1990s “Cultural Aspects”, on the other hand, have received somewhat increased emphasis, reaching a representation of 51% from a start at 36%. Of all coded articles, 48% have themes falling under this topic.
Overall, 30% of all coded units have themes under “Educational Aspects”. The inconsistent representation of this topic over the years (36%, 21%, 36%) indicates that a solid initial interest in areas such as education–related subjects for some reason declined in the early 1980s, but then surged again in the late 1980s. By contrast, “Professional Aspects” have demonstrated a very consistent pattern of representation (33%, 34%, 36%). Thirty–five percent of all coded units deal with professional themes.
The final column of Table 3, overall percentages of articles coded within a topic, provides a basis for expectations about the percentage of articles that might address a certain topic. When compared with the representation of each topic relative to the conference venue (see Table 4), some interesting patterns come to light.
Table 4
Topic Representation by Venue Compared to Overall
Representation (Percent of Units Studied)
| Relative % of overall N=403 | Developing Countries N=96 | CUA: Canada, USA, Australia N=181 | European Countries N=126 | |
| School Libraries | 56% | 73% (70) (+17%) | 54% (97) (-2%) | 45% (57%) (-11%) |
| Cultural Aspects | 48% | 43% (41) (-5%) | 42% (76) (-6%) | 60% (75) (+12%) |
| Educational Aspects | 30% | 31% (30) (+1%) | 30% (54) (0) | 26% (33) (-4%) |
| Professional Aspects | 35% | 44% (42) (+9%) | 33% (59) (-2%) | 29% (36) (-6%) |
Statistical significance cannot be determined from these figures. For the purpose of determining some trends, deviations +/-8% will be considered evidential. Thus, more interest in “School Libraries” (+17%) and “Professional Aspects” (+9%) than one might expect is evident in presentations at conferences held in developing countries. Interest in “School Libraries” themes is lower than expected at conferences held in European countries (-11%). However, cultural topics receive more emphasis than expected in European countries (+12%).
Discussion
The content analysis of IASL conference proceedings indicates that the themes emphasized in conference papers have varied over the years. The venue (a CUA, European, or developing country) appears to have some influence on the themes included in conference papers. It is possible that scores reflect the orientation and interests of the conference hosts.
The high discrepancy in expected percentages for “School Libraries”—where 73% of the proceedings’ articles (17% more than expected) from conferences in developing countries emphasize this topic—seems to indicate greater interest in school library institutionalization among developing countries and less interest among CUA and European countries, where interest is the same as, or less than, expected. Papers with these themes may serve an educative function in developing countries and fulfill the need for basic information. The greater–than–expected number of articles dealing with “Professional Aspects” presented at developing countries’ conferences perhaps stems from the relatively high priority placed on the promotion of training and library education mechanisms, the importance of the development of professional organizations in spurring library development, and the greater dependence of school librarianship in developing countries on international associations.
Another possibility is that the overall trends toward lower–than–expected interest in all topics among papers presented at CUA and European conferences (with the exception of “Cultural Aspects” in European conferences) may indicate that papers from these venues have a more concentrated focus and thus are coded as containing fewer themes. Papers presented in developing countries may be more “information rich” and may have more themes per paper; thus they might reflect a greater need for “information” among school librarians in developing countries.
Conclusion
IASL’s vitality and distinction lie in the intersection of professional concerns with the tenets of internationalism (diversity, collaboration, alignment, interconnectedness, unity, and consensus-building).7 Periodic scheduling of conferences in developing countries promotes this dynamic interaction and counteracts a tendency towards bureaucratization and the institutionalization of advanced models of professional practice (appropriate for developed countries but of questionable significance to developing countries).8 Most professional organizations tend to move toward an increasingly elitist level of professional focus with conferences and conference presentations oriented toward the concerns of academics. Practitioner and novice concerns tend to be tacitly dismissed in international conferences, because in Western nations with significant levels of school library development, these concerns are addressed through many interlocking levels of professional organizations at the national, state or province, and local levels. Conferences in developing countries shift the balance back toward practice.
Serving as a conference venue facilitates access for local school library people (who generally cannot afford to travel to conferences), increases representation by professionals from developing countries, stimulates local professional development and leadership skills, and brings favorable attention to school library development in the host country. The data on conference venue as a factor in the conference themes suggest that developing country hosts significantly affect the agenda for professional discussion; this forms a strong argument for the rotation of conference sites.
Scheduling of conferences in developing countries counterbalances tendencies toward domination by key Western countries through an influx of local members and a transfusion of new leaders. In many different ways, these conferences provide explicit and implicit reminders of the conditions of librarianship in developing countries through presentations, displays, and excursions. Through its role as a clearinghouse, forum, and disseminator of information, IASL’s conferences and publications have resulted in the collection, promotion, and spread of a vast body of literature on school library development worldwide. Through incorporation of themes and papers selected by conferences hosts and disseminated through conference proceedings, IASL members in developing countries have helped ensure that the literature of the school librarianship profession provides vital, relevant information from a variety of perspectives.
References
1. Rebecca Knuth, “Convergence and Global Ethics: The International Association of School Librarianship and the Worldwide Promotion of School Libraries” (Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1995).
2. Elise Boulding, “'The Old and the New Transnationalism: An Evolutionary Perspective,” Human Relations 44–8 (1991): 789–805.
3. Margaret Mead and Paul Byers, The Small Conference: An Innovation in Communication (The Hague: Mouton, 1986).
4. Bernard Berelson, Content Analysis in Communication Research (Glencoe, 111.: Free Press, 1952), p. 18.
5. Matilda Riley and Clarice Stoll, “Content Analysis,” in International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (Vol. 3), ed. D. L. Sills (New York: Macmillan & Free Press, 1968).
6. Ibid.
7. Boulding, op. cit.
8. Rebecca Knuth, “Through the Lens of Theory: Perspectives on an International Library Association,” International Information and Library Review (1997). (Accepted for publication in 1997.)
About the author
Rebecca Knuth is Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii.