BCC Faculty Sponsor: Brian Trautman

 

ECON-212 Prin. of Macroeconomics

The Schumacher Center for New Economics – BerkShares

Contact: Alice Maggio, Local Currency Program Director
Schumacher Center for a New Economics
140 Jug End Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-528-1737
alicemaggio@centerforneweconomics.org

 

1.      Description of agency mission and functions:

The Schumacher Center was founded in 1980. It is a leader in the movement to create a ‘new economy,’ one that supports both people and the planet.  The Schumacher Center’s work has included micro-lending, lease agreements for affordable access to land, the issuance of local currency, and the organization of community supported industry.

 

The Schumacher Center houses:

• A research library that stewards a rich collection of materials from the tradition of community economics, including E.F. Schumacher’s personal library and papers.
• A lecture series that showcases the visionaries of the movement.
• Training seminars and conferences that inform and inspire action.
• On-the-ground projects to test and develop models and tools to empower citizens, including the local currency called BerkShares and the Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires.

 

2.      Description of service-learning positions and responsibilities:

BerkShares are the Berkshire Region’s 8 year-old and world-famous local currency.  An innovative citizen-based economic development tool, BerkShares help Berkshire residents create a stronger regional economy.  The BerkShares program encourages local exchange and production while educating citizens about the advantages of supporting independent and regionally scaled businesses. BerkShares and the Schumacher Center are currently building a ‘Community Supported Industry’ initiative to complement the BerkShares local currency and provide more tools for regional economic self-reliance.  The Service Learning project will involve supporting BerkShares’ day-to-day operations as well as developing resources for “community supported industry” in the Berkshires.

 

Student will be tasked with some or all of the following:

•  preparing materials and assisting with the set-up for BerkShares, Inc.’s Annual Meeting October 23^rd,  and other special events such as the Lenox Apple Squeeze.
• maintaining and cleaning up the BerkShares database of friends, members, and participating businesses
• building the online resource pages (on BerkShares Inc.’s new Drupal-powered website) for the Community Supported Industry initiative

 

3.      Essential knowledge, skills and qualifications needed to work at this agency:

• To be considered for this position, students will write a short letter of interest and interview with the local currency director
• Comfort with speaking to people at public events and making phone calls is preferred
• Very good writing and presentation skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to follow instructions and work on a defined project independently
• Prior experience with web-editing is preferred, but not required

 

4.      How will students be oriented to this agency:

Students will tour the Schumacher Center for New Economics’ office, watch videos on the Center’s YouTube Channel, and meet with Local Currency Director Alice Maggio to be oriented to the work of the Schumacher Center & the BerkShares program.

5.       Schedule of SL projects (ie. dates, days and hours SL students are needed.)

Students are expected to complete 15 hours of service during the semester.

• The student and Local Currency Director will agree upon the scheduling of SL hours at the beginning of the SL project.
• Alice Maggio will unavailable on the following dates: October 24^th, October 27^th-November 2^nd, and November 10^th-14^th.

• Available hours are generally Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m, with some special events outside of normal working hours.

 

6.      Nature and extent of supervision provided participants

The Local Currency Director will be available to provide all guidance and direction.

 

The Schumacher Center for a New Economics – Library

Contact Info:

Amelia Holmes
Librarian
Schumacher Center for a New Economics
140 Jug End Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-528-1737
ameliaholmes@centerforneweconomics.org

1.      Description of agency mission and functions:

The Schumacher Center is heir to the programs of the E. F. Schumacher Society, founded in 1980. It is a leader in the movement to create a ‘new economy,’ one that supports both people and the planet.  The Schumacher Center’s work has included micro-lending, lease agreements for affordable access to land, the issuance of local currency, and the organization of community supported industry.

 

The Schumacher Center houses:

• A research library that stewards materials representing the rich tradition of community economics
• A lecture series that showcases the visionaries of the movement
• Training seminars and conferences that inform and inspire action
• On-the-ground projects to test and develop models and tools to empower citizens

2.      Description of service-learning positions and responsibilities:

The Schumacher Center’s Library, home to a number of special collections and archives, was established in 1990 to meet the growing need for a research center to steward materials representing the rich tradition of community economics. Housed in South Egremont, Massachusetts, the library has grown to over 16,000 volumes of unique materials that explore the theory and practice of building ecologically and socially responsible economies.

 

The Service-Learning Program student will become familiar with the workings of a non-profit organization and have the opportunity to meet leaders in the new economy movement. They will work with the book collections and will be exposed to literature on economic topics that include decentralism, worker-ownership and cooperatives, the commons, local currencies, and new economics. The collections, which are world-class and extensive, could form the basis of future research.

 

Students will have the following possible projects:

• Go through all books and note the names of the donors. Update corresponding book records in the online Library database.
• Research relevant databases, schools, organizations and other resources for students, educators, and activists who are interested in new economics. Create a list of contact information so that the Librarian may more effectively share the Schumacher Library’s unique materials and other resources.
• Catalog the Library’s newest acquisition, the Martha Shaw collection, in the online Library database.

3.      Essential knowledge, skills and qualifications needed to work at this agency:

• To be considered for this position, students will write a short letter of interest and interview with the librarian. Interest in library work is expected but prior library experience is not required.

4.      How will students be oriented to this agency:

Students will tour the Schumacher Center for New Economics’ office, watch videos on the Center’s Youtube Channel, and meet with Librarian, Amelia Holmes, to be oriented to the Library. If the Service-Learning Project student is interested in cataloging, they will receive training in correct library cataloging procedure and receive a seven-page manual for reference.

5.       Schedule of SL projects (ie. dates, days and hours SL students are needed.)

Students are expected to complete 15 hours of service during the semester.

• Available hours are generally Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• The scheduling of these hours is flexible and will be agreed upon by the Librarian and student.
• Amelia will unavailable on the following dates: October 24^th, October 27^th-29^th and November 10^th-13^th.

6.      Nature and extent of supervision provided participants

The Librarian will be available to provide all guidance and direction. The Executive Director and Communications and Operations Director will be available at the Schumacher Center to answer any questions relating to the organization and its current and past work.