Presents 12 articles that are abbreviated versions of presentations at the Wilson Symposium on the Future of Public Libraries. Highlights include rural library needs; community needs; librarians' role in planning for community change; cooperating to meet specialized needs; future staffing requirements; distance education; library technology; the…

Changes in national demographics have altered how we define community. The community may be a geographic area of home life, a place for coming together voluntarily, or an association of people with similar interests and values. New communities must develop their own infrastructures and capacities for sustaining themselves. (SLD)

The shared struggles facing urban and rural schools, such as changing cultural and linguistic classroom profiles, increased childhood poverty, and residential segregation patterns, influence financial inequities between people and communities thus contributing to gaps in academic achievement and teacher shortages in both settings. The…

This paper overviews the evolution of rural society in Ontario (Canada) from the author's personal experience and research. The paper defines "rural" and "culture" and discusses how these concepts are relevant to social change and the resulting effects on technology, demographics, social organization, and community beliefs and…

This paper describes the use of the Nominal Group Technique as a tool to assist community leaders in 23 Georgia counties, most of them rural, in identifying and prioritizing community issues. The counties and individuals involved were participants in the Georgia County Perspective, a 12-week leadership program designed to give local leaders skills…

Analysis of secondary data from 1980-85 revealed economic, demographic, social, and psychological effects of the current "farm crisis" on rural communities in Nebraska. Agriculturally dependent counties were found to have a widening income disparity with state and metropolitan county averages, declining retail sales, slower increase in…

To examine the effects of the 1978-81 oil and gas boom on social and economic relations and institutions in Caldwell, Texas, researchers gathered data about the community using census information, historical accounts, official records, publications, observations, interviews, and surveys of 133 residents, 91 businesses, and 40 oil field service…

Using historical statistics and key indicators, data were synthesized to identify longitudinal trends and patterns in the social, economic, and political status of El Paso's Chicanos. Data related to group achievement were analyzed. A framework adapted to local conditions based on the internal colonialism model was used for the periodization of El…

The systematic, practical ideas presented for improving the quality of life in a community are based on the belief that people, working together, sometimes with and through local government and sometimes through the vigorous efforts of voluntary organizations and associations, can help their communities increasingly become the kinds of places that…

Growth in nonmetropolitan areas is expected to cause some of the most important land use debates of the 1980's. This volume is intended to provide professionals in the land use field with a better understanding of the extent and nature of population change in nonmetropolitan areas, the type of development associated with this change, and the…

A three-phase interdisciplinary effort between educators and environmental planners is focusing on the social effects of rural primary school reorganization now occuring in England as a result of a declining birth rate and the resulting need for school closure. A questionnaire mailed nationally to rural Local Education Authorities, cross-community…

The contemporary rural population, comprising one-quarter of the nation's total, is diverse. Hence, no single label can be applied to its inhabitants, its families, or its children. This collection of articles, highlighted with drawings by five year old rural residents, describes adaptations to modern American life made by three types of rural…

This workbook is primarily for use in a workshop to provide information on how land-use decisions are made in Idaho, for what reasons, and with what effect. For students, there are classroom activities that correspond to actual problems of land-use decision making, and suggestions for further study and investigation. For teachers, there are…

A study of community satisfaction in two eastern Colorado towns found that residents' perceptions of their communities were significantly related to demographic and residential/migrational characteristics. Questionnaires were sent to 450 telephone subscribers, selected randomly from the 1977 directories for both communities; 49% were completed and…

In 1965 Concerted Services in Training and Education (CSTE) began operation in three selected rural counties of New Mexico, Arkansas, and Minnesota with objectives of: (1) developing general operational patterns for alleviation and solution of occupational education problems, (2) identifying employment opportunities and occupational education…