Humanity will one day need all of the good examples of small scale it can find. -- Wes Jackson
As stewards of the British economist Fritz Schumacher's personal library and papers, board and staff of the E. F. Schumacher Society recognize that in our care is an archive every bit as important to the sustainable economies movement as Dr. Martin Luther King's library and papers are to the civil rights movement. Schumacher was a pioneer in his integrated thinking about economic, environmental, and cultural issues. His proposal for a new value-imbued economics as outlined in his book Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, offers a clear and compelling vision for action.
Project Need
Recognized patterns of climate change and the adverse impact of global economic systems on our communities have focused new attention on developing sustainable local economies as a citizen response to these problems. Schumacher's prophetic voice is inspiring a new generation. Local production reduces carbon footprint by decreasing the distance between maker and consumer, distributes wealth more broadly through a multitude of local owners, fosters diversity as products take on the character of a specific place and the people of that place. A "thickening of the economy" to use the phrase of Jeff Campbell of the Ford Foundation. Not a dependence on a few mega-sized manufacturing centers, but varied distributed manufacturing.
The regional planner Jane Jacobs, a giant in her field, echoed Schumacher's call for vibrant regional economies. Her strategy was to develop opportunities for import-replacing businesses producing locally that which is brought in from outside the region. In Systems for Survival and her last book Dark Age Ahead, she names economic projects of the E. F. Schumacher Society as ones to be emulated in this regard. Her letter of support for completing the E. F. Schumacher Library most elegantly describes the urgency of the Society's work:
. . . The project is enormously worthwhile. Serious demand (in fact sheer need) for local, decentralist economic initiatives is on the rise, hence also need for a facility that both collects and disseminates pertinent information. The E. F. Schumacher Library’s definition of “pertinent,” including both practice and theory, and linking local economic initiatives with environmental, social and regional concerns, is excellent: vital to constructive, long-term results.
Having a Broader Voice
For over 20 years Schumacher Society staff have gathered, professionally catalogued, and stewarded essential collections of books and papers on worker ownership, community supported farming, appropriate technology, micro-financing, restoring the commons, small schools, and community economics. In addition to Fritz Schumacher collection, included are collections of Cornell Professor George Benello, futurist Kirkpatrick Sale, CSA founder Robyn Van En, economist Ralph Borsodi, TRANET publisher William Ellis, community land trust movement founder Robert Swann, small school advocate Dick Bliss and others. Together they tell the story of hope and possibility for responding to current economic, environmental, and social problems.
I was just reading again this morning Sir Albert Howard's introduction to The Soil and Health, in which he says that, "one small example always outweighs a ton of theory." I think that you all, more than anybody I know, have furnished us the redeeming small examples without which we would be wandering around in theory. -- Wendell Berry
Our goal is to leverage this wealth of resources into a platform to shape broad discussion and inspire citizen action necessary for change. To do so will require investment in infrastructure and personnel.
1.
Renovations and expansion of the library building including:
-humidity and light control for the archival collection
-librarian workspace
-research rooms
-enhanced media and internet capabilities
-additional shelf space
-handicap accessibility
2. Staff devoted to actively leveraging the collection by:
-hosting visiting researchers
-creating annotated reading lists for scholars, policy persons, and media,
so providing background information on topics of current concern
-posting selected archival documents online for reference
-soliciting and posting research papers on themes growing from the urgency of the times
-developing new educational packets in print and online for academics, media, and kitchen table discussion circles
-inviting collaboration with universities and other organizations
-convening conferences in person and online
To accomplish these goals the E. F. Schumacher Society is undertaking a one million dollar funding initiative:
$350,000 to complete a 1800 square foot expansion of its library and office building securing organization capacity for the task
$250,000 to fund staff for two years to jump start the leveraging and outreach process
$400,000 as first stage of an endowment for the building and collection to ensure their long-term maintenance
Your Role
To leverage powerful ideas into a broad citizen movement for economic change will take your generous support. Acting now will assure that resources of the E. F. Schumacher Library will be an effective tool for that change.
2011 marks the one hundredth anniversary of Fritz Schumacher's birth. Your donation will help honor this centenary and turn his vision of a more sustainable future into action.
The Board of Directors thanks you for your contribution.
Please make your tax-deductible gift to:
E. F. Schumacher Society, 140 Jug End Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230 USA
Go to the secure online donation form (Visa/Mastercard) or use the printable donation form and send by mail.
To arrange a donation of stock or securities, please contact Susan Witt at the Society's office: (413) 528-1737, efssociety@smallisbeautiful.org
