NON-FORMAL EDUCATION INFORMATION CENTER PROGRAM OF STUDIES AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN NON-FORMAL EDUCATION MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY - AN ISSUES PAPER CONCERNING FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

NFE"S NETWORK OF 2300 PERSONS AIMS TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF & OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXCHANGE OF IDEAS 7 APPROACHES IN NON-FORMAL EDUC IN ALL FACETS OF DEVEL WORK. NETWORK MEMBERS" RESPONSES INDIC NEED TO SATISFY INFO REQUESTS USING EXPERIENCE & MANDATES OF DEVEL AGENCIES THAT HAVE USED NON-FORMAL EDUC TO INCREASE PARTIC OF & BENEFITS TO THE POOR. NEF SHOULD ENGAGE IN KNOWLEDGE BUILDING & APPLIC TO STRENGHTEN ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE DIVERSE, TIMELY & QUALITATIVE MTRL. WITH 50% OF NETWORK MEMBERS FROM VARIOUS SPECIALTIES CONSULTING IN 107 COUUNTRIES, THERE IS SIGNIFICANT CONTACT WITH, & SOLICITATN FROM, OTHER AGENCIES. HOWEVER, A MORE SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE THEMATIC, GEOGRAPHC & ORG"L NATURE OF REQUESTS, INCLUDING REQUESTS FROM THE POOR, WILL MAKE NFE MORE EFFICIENT. BOTTOM-UP & TOP-DOWN COMMUNIC, DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE & SERVICES & IMPACT EVAL WOULD LINK MEMBERS WITHIN NFE WHILE BROADNING POSSIBLE RAMIFICATNS OF SERVICES. NFE RECIEVES 75 REQUESTS PER WEEK FROM A LIBRARY COLLECTN OF 3500 ITEMS CODED & CATALOGD INTO BROAD THEMATIC AREAS. TO INCREASE RESPONSE QUALITY, MTRLS NEED QUALITATIVE ANNOTATIONS; TOPICAL ACQUISITION LISTS NEED UPDATING & ANNOTATD THEMATIC RSORC LISTS NEED TO BE DEVELPD. AS AFFILIATD ORGNZTNS INCREASE CONTACT WITH NFE, THEIR REQUESRS MOVE FROM CONCEPTUAL CONCERNS TO PRAGMATC DEVEL NEEDS SO THAT MOST CORRESPONDNTS ARE RECEIVING INDIVIDUALZD REAPONSES. THUS, STAFF MUST HAVE GRASSROOTS DEVEL EXPERIENNCE & A SYSTM OF PEER-REVIEW SHOULD BE SET UP TO PROVIDE QUALITY ANNOTATNS FOR ALL NEF MTRLS, TO INSURE VALIDITY CHECK ON JUDGEMNTS OF MTRLS & TO GIVE BEST POSSIBLE RESPONSE. NEF HAS MAILED OVER 3000 PUBLICATNS, INCLUDING THE NEF EXCHANGE ,TO NETWRK MEMBERS. NEF EXCHANGE SHOULD CONTINUE BI-MNTHLY PUBLICATN, FUGITIVE DOCUMNTS SHOULD BE ACCESSBLE & DOCUMNTS IN FOREIGN LANGS SHOULD BE TRANSLTD. SERVICES CURRENTLY PERFORMD BY NFE ARE INEXPENSIVE FOR THE BENEFITS. AID SPONSRSHP OF2 MORE YRS WOULD PERMIT NFE TO SEARCH FOR LONG-TERM FUNDING.