 National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C. Vol. 31, No. 9 * May 10, 1999 Previous story | Table of Contents | Next story Rural Development Clearinghouse gets new look By Jeri Marxman
NACo’s online Rural Development Clearinghouse has a new look. Now there are eight topical sections that include success stories and resource listings. Rural officials can check out accomplishments of rural counties, and other information, with just a click of the mouse. The clearinghouse can be accessed from the NACo homepage, just click on "programs and projects," then on "community and economic development;" then on "rural development clearinghouse." If you prefer a more direct approach, the address is: www.naco.org/programs/comm_dev/rural/index.cfm. NACo’s Rural Development Clearinghouse was developed as a project of the Rural Renaissance Task Force. Work began more than a year ago to create a resource to help rural officials identify solutions to local issues. Funds to support the development of the Clearinghouse were provided by the Cargill Foundation. These Cargill funds support the work of university graduate students, who search for county success stories. The program reports come from many sources, including NACo’s Achievement Awards Program, federal agency reports, and leads from a number of national organizations and associations. The clearinghouse was created on the Internet because NACo’s rural leadership recognized that the Internet can be an important tool for rural officials. The Internet puts even the most remote community in the center of the world. Information that used to require a trip to the library, or the state capital, or even the nation’s capital, is available right on your desktop. So far, the Rural Development Clearinghouse has information on eight topics: Economic Development, Rural Housing, Rural Health, Welfare to Work, Environment, Transportation, Education, and Water Resources. Clearinghouse information includes summaries of innovative programs that have been implemented in rural communities, as well as contact information for government, university, non-profit organizations and foundations that help rural leaders address issues facing their communities. Links to data that may be helpful to communities in designing programs and determining funding needs are also featured in the clearinghouse. |