These volumes report on investigation, activities, and viewpoints related to rural library service. Topics covered are the role of rural libraries, the needs and characteristics of its users, the characteristics of its trustees, difference in operation and information service between rural and urban libraries, and the role of technology in helping…

This report contains five papers with discussions identifying policy and research issues in rural labor markets, assessing the adequacy of existing data and theories for researching these issues, and assigning priorities to research questions. The papers focus on rural economic goals, market linkages with metropolitan, national, and international…

To assist state-level educational policy makers, information about the needs of rural adults and barriers to their participation in educational programs was studied in seven northwestern states. Telephone interviews gathered information from educational providers (approximately 6 in each state) and 47 rural adult learners from the region. In each…

Based on a survey of written sources and perspectives of knowledgeable individuals, the report provides information on women's economic roles in Cameroon, and on aspects of social life which effect their economic performance. A description of the importance of traditional social systems and their evolution over the last 30 years follows a brief…

This workshop collection contains a paper which analyzes the actual and potential income and wealth sources of rural inhabitants, an appendix which discusses the effectiveness of current transfer payment programs in reaching the rural poor, and a reviewer's comments. The paper by Emery Castle and Mark Goldstein describes incomes of rural residents…

Four lectures are directed at reviewing and analyzing the changes that have taken place over the years in the structure and society of agriculture. An historical review of changes in American rural life points out that rural society is in a rapid period of transition toward urban-industrial culture. Agricultural development and technological…

Building upon the body of knowledge re: rural cooperatives generated by the Office of Economic Opportunity and its research and demonstration programs, this paper proposes a design for a national program of Federal support for cooperatives serving the rural poor. Specifically, this paper presents: (1) the basic situation of the rural poor and the…

This report on the educational systems in China and South Africa compares the policies and processes of the two countries as they attempt to expand and improve rural education. Both countries experienced a major political upheaval, and even though there is a 50-year time lag between these events, political changes ushered in radical educational…

Rural areas' population growth, location, level of economic activity and social well-being depend less on natural resource endowments than on such factors as transportation, communication, labor force characteristics, and urbanization. General causes of the 1970's urban-to-rural migration included fewer changes in the structure of agriculture,…

Substate regional organizations (defined as those public bodies that provide planning, economic development, and service coordination for local governments) are discussed, and the major issues pertaining to substate regionalism are explored in this overview. The background and setting of the substate regional movement is traced, from its inception…

The study described the patterns of government outlay to U.S. metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas for 86% of the $499 billion of federal outlays and loan guarantees made in fiscal 1978 to individual counties in the 50 states. Between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas there were considerable variations in outlays to programs in seven…

A paper examining recent changes in the social and economic development of rural America--with comments by a different author--and a paper discussing rural policy comprise this workshop collection. Placing the changes of the 1970s in a broader historical perspective and developing a general framework within which to consider the influence of…

Describing issues relative to economic development in nonmetropolitan areas, this document presents narrative and tabular data re: (1) the causal forces behind economic decline in rural America (technology, shifting patterns of demand for goods and services, and changes in life styles and residential preferences); (2) the incidence and indicators…

Rural schools have had a traditional role as major vehicles of rural economic development. During the rapid economic changes of the 20th century rural schools supplied the literate migrants who flocked to the cities to become the human capital for urban based expansion. Rural schools also provided the literate farmers who stayed at home and…

In response to Section 901(e) of the Agricultural Act of 1970, this third annual report on the availability of government and government assisted services to rural areas presents developments pertinent to the objectives of the Rural Development Act of 1972. Presented via narrative and tabular data, emphasis is on the following: (1) net rural to…