Economic development/opportunity strategies for rural libraries - "Public/private collaborations in the development of libraries for economic development and as business incubators: A libraries for the future project" (El Rito community cooperatives (ERCCs) - New Mexico)

The El Rito Community Cooperatives project will initiate and develop new partnerships and programs using state-of-the-art networking technologies, with the public library as the nexus for creating economic development (real jobs) in an impoverished and remote part of the United States, El Rito, NM. Libraries for the Future has created Community Library Information Collaboratives (CLIC) nationwide, including those devoted to economic/community development and education-the El Rito Project is one of three rural CLIC sites. Partners include: academic institutions; government; libraries; public schools; and the private sector. The ERCCs will initially comprise four cooperatives, including Spanish Colonial woodworking, weaving, computer technologies, and artisans. These cooperatives will be located within or adjacent to the El Rito Public Library. The creation of the cooperatives, the training, education, research, marketing, and sales would be very difficult, if not impossible, in such a remote region, if it were not for telecommunications and computer networking technologies. Utilizing the public library as an instrument of economic development is a natural. The economic development center essentially will have a built-in research library, training and education center, and will be able to obtain the requisite cooperative, small business, marketing, etc. skills utilizing distance education to the desktop technologies. Project participants will be able to bring their children to work, i.e., to the library where family/children programs will provide some daycare and after-school programs. Ultimately, the public library will be the hub of community activities utilizing scarce resources in a parsimonious fashion.