Iida City in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, is an environmentally advanced municipality that describes itself an “environment-conscious city”, including citizen participation in the town’s environment plan, network of EMS (Environmental Management system) businesses, and citizen-owned power generation. In addition, Iida City is a town with advanced community center activities.

 In this research, we have studied the civic capacity for regional environmental action, the connection between community center activities and activities related to low carbon cities (esppecially citizen-owned power generation). We conducted a comprehensive analysis based on interviews with main actors, questionnaire surveys to public hall directores, and interviews with members of the local community.

 As a result of the analysis, the followings trends can be identified.

(1) The relationships between the administration sector and other sectors were formed through the accumulation of previous environmental measures. However the relationships between the community organization and other sectors were comparatively weak.

(2) The community center activities of Iida City had achieved the ideal as a community that valued the voluntarily activity by the residents; however, creating the common theme of global warming had only taken off after the middle of the 2000s.

(3) Two districts in Iida city invested in the citizen-owned power generation as a result of the accumulation of current environmental measures. There is a possibility that the civic capacity for regional environmental action can be further strengthened, if the connection of the community center activities and activities concerning low carbon cities is activated.

本稿の目的は，過疎化が進む中山間地域の小規模ー高齢化集落で生活す

る高齢者をどう支援するか，支援の方策を地域福祉の視点から考察するこ

とである．本稿が事例とする地域は，長野県下伊那郡泰阜村の小規模・高

齢化集落であり，筆者が行なった高齢者生活調査から述べる.

本研究では，訪問調査による聴き取り調査は，できるだけ自由に語っ

てもらうことを主眼にしたので，非構造化面接(自由面接)による事例調

査法を採用したデータの収集は，対象者の居宅において非構造的インタ

ビューにより行なった.

本稿では，小規模・高齢佑集落で高齢者を支えるためのこれからの地域

福祉の課題として，血縁と地縁と行政の支援で高齢者の自立を支える，新

しい公共の創出，内発的発展の課題，在宅福祉から地域包括ケアへの課題

を考察した.

  The purpose of this study is to explain the process of establishment and activities of Hanni-Woman Library, and investigate the meaning of women's reading activities in the 1960's.

  By analyzing the miscellany of Hanni-Woman Library, it is demonstrated that the women at that time were alienated from reading activities or other cultural activities because of pressure from their family, especially from their mother-in-law.

  Hanni-Woman Library gave them the opportunity to read.

  Although the number of library members were reduced because of women's participation in public and prevalence of television, there were some women who continued their reading activities.

  Through activities of the Hanni-Woman Library, women became to form a habit of reading and to find the importance of learning together.

  For them, reading activities were an essential source of their cultivation in order to decide things for themselves and act on their own judgments and present their thoughts and ideas.