The National Center for Small Communities Announces New Resources for Small Communities

The National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) announces two new free or low-cost resources for small town leaders and rural development practitioners. Based in Washington, D.C., the National Center conducts research, training and technical assistance to benefit the leaders of America’s small communities.

The Thriving Hometowns Network is a compilation of more than 50 original and in-depth (4- to 7-page) community and economic development case studies drawn from small communities (most less than 10,000 population). It is a fully searchable electronic database, available free of charge to anyone with Internet access.

Users can search the database by any keyword or by any (or all) of the following criteria: geographic region, population range, economic development strategy and key project organizers. The search will produce a list of qualified case studies. By clicking on the case study title, users can view and print each detailed case study. All case studies may be reprinted and distributed, if credit is given to NCSC. For more information, visit www.smallcommunities.org/ncsc/THN.htm.

Technology and Grit at the Grassroots (68-page guidebook) identifies and explores effective technology-led economic development strategies for distressed, rural communities. Concrete guidance on how to put computers, the Internet, and advanced telecommunications to good use is distilled from practical research of 14 distressed rural communities and supplemented by recent articles and reports.

NCSC is distributing 1,000 guidebooks to interested regional and statewide economic organizations and agencies at a fulfillment price of 93 cents per book. In trade, these organizations must put the guidebook into the hands of small town leaders. For additional information, visit www.smallcommunities.org/ncsc/TechandGrit.htm.

For more information about NCSC, visit www.smallcommunities.org/ncsc/.