This research was commissioned by AONTAS-the National Adult Learning Organisation, in partnership with Irish Aid, the Irish Government's programme of assistance to developing countries. To date, a strategic focus on the integration of development education into adult learning has been missing at both State level and across the development…

The results of a survey of rural public libraries in Pennsylvania are reported in narrative form, supplemented with tables and graphs. The report is based on the responses of 1,053 library users of 124 rural libraries (out of a sample of 131). Concerned with the users' perceptions of the public library, the first section presents data on reasons…

"Jobs Rally" is a community event that can be coordinated by a human service program or institution to help communities become more responsive to the independent living and career development needs of people with severe disabilities. This manual outlines how to conduct a jobs rally. The manual begins with a very brief four-step community…

"Place-based assistance" is not a new concept. Asking what people want and finding ways to give it to them sounds simplistic, but it can result in "win-win" solutions in which everyone involved benefits. This document is a guide to using networking and surveys of residents to determine community needs. Some case studies show…

The Centralia 21st Century Visioning Project was undertaken by the city of Centralia, in Washington, and Centralia College to determine a vision for the city for the next century based on citizen and business input. In summer 1994, the college conducted a survey of 185 businesses from the city's downtown core to gather retailers' perceptions on…

This document identifies steps in organizing and conducting a community survey and provides materials for assembling a well-focused survey form. Planning and conducting a successful survey involves the organization of a planning group, selection of relevant topics and information to be collected on each topic, preparation of a survey form,…

Based on the view that strong families create healthy local economies and that family support is key to helping families become self-sufficient, active participants in the marketplace, this workbook is part of a wider effort at Family Support America to apply the principles of family support and the strategies of community economic development to…

A strong local economy which allows residents of a community to work and shop near their homes is perhaps the best safeguard against the threats of urban sprawl, economic stagnation, physical deterioration and loss of unique identity facing many small towns. Utilizing a six-phase process advocated by the University of Wisconsin-Extension,…

A guide for college and university educators who manage service-learning programs, or programs that support student involvement in the community, is presented. A systematic approach to planning and managing service-learning programs is presented, management functions for supporting a service-learning system are identified, and ideas on…