Most contemporary groups limit attempts of mutuality to specific instances of need. This paper reports on a qualitative study of the structures and systems of mutual aid in a traditional, closed ethnoreligious Old Order Mennonite community in Ontario. We examine the structural characteristics, systems of mutuality, tensions, and conflicts that…

Discusses the importance of community study in academic librarianship and describes the kind of analysis an academic community needs for short- and long-range planning. (Author/PF)

Explores the effects of identifying ethnicity in the community on the development of libraries, and offers suggestions for designing a questionnaire which will provide a source of information about community needs. (FM)

Points out some of the mutually illuminating relationships that offer an astringent challenge to communication/community research. Argues that community mass media campaigns can be very successful when they are part of an integrated program that uses local celebrities, live meetings, and easily measured finite goals. (RAE)

Presents the case for library participation in community analysis and indicates several ways that it can be accomplished. (PF)

Explains the process of community development and points out ways in which a librarian's knowledge of the community can be enhanced by this community planning process if librarians involve themselves in the identification of community problems and participate in their solution. (Author/PF)

The conceptual and theoretical implications of employing different functional models of social change at the community level are outlined in this paper. While no new theoretical or methodological ground is broken, a class of models is recommended that appear infrequently in sociological literature, yet are well suited for representing social…

AN INVESTIGATION WAS MADE OF LITERACY IN A REPRESENTATIVE VILLAGE OF RURAL GUATEMALA. THE COMMUNITY, EL JOCOTE, HAS A SUBSISTENCE ECONOMY DOMINATED BY CUSTOM AND TRADITION AND HAS ONLY MINIMAL CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD. MEMBERS OF FOUR FAMILIES FURNISHED DATA BASED ON LITERACY TESTS AND BOTH STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS. FINDINGS…

An initial task in starting a program of community services is to plan to develop and prepare fo offer a program designed to achieve the purposes and goals of the college. The procedures used to analyze the expectations and needs may be as varied as the final programs, but there are certain basic considerations which are common to them all. These…

A report on the National Seminar of American Indian Women is presented. This meeting was planned to provide an opportunity for American Indian women to discuss the needs of Indian communities and expand their understanding of what constitutes an adequate community. The delegates were lay people selected from their home communities. Sixty-eight of…

Community analysis is a systematic gathering of facts and observations about the area served by a library branch; it provides a method that allows us to convert impressions into facts that young adult (YA) librarians need to prove that the library is helpful and that its services are visible. (Author)

Reviews the past five years of community ties research. Examines recent research for evidence of progress in resolving important conceptual issues, and discusses problems that still persist despite previous cautions. (RAE)

Service-learning projects help students make connections to their community and help them to think about civic participation. The projects can range from very simple short-term philanthropy to very complex direct involvement by the students across multiple years. Students learn both social problem-solving skills and academic knowledge through…