Sometimes they come in full color, bound and bookmarked. As of late electronic is the way to go — a CD or a pdf to be e-mailed or downloaded.

Regardless of their outward appearance, the surveys, polls, reports and studies on Natchez and Adams County are mostly repetitive.

We’ve had so many in years past that some office somewhere must be filled to the brim with stacks of the hired firms’ “overviews and recommendations.”

Alas, they probably aren’t centrally located and easily accessible, since all the studies tell us that a lack of unity and multiple organizations with similar goals are problems that plague us.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with studies led by paid consultants. They are commonly used in the private sector to improve productivity and profit.

These paid firms are paid for a reason — they know what they are doing, they will take the time to do it, and their recommendations can be delivered without crossing local political lines or stepping on hurt toes.

What matters, however, is what happens when the out-of-town experts hit the highway and leave us with a pile of papers.

Last fall, the findings from one in the long series of reports on Natchez was released at a public meeting sponsored by the Natchez Downtown Development Association.

The Mississippi State Community Action Team shared with us their “First Impressions” of Natchez.

Their thoughts filled a 57-page, full color, staple-bound booklet, but were easily boiled down into five or so main points.

Natchez needed to improve its appearance, be welcoming of new business, explore new types of tourism, attract more people downtown and lose its divisiveness.

And our community has made some progress on at least several of those items.

The former First Baptist Church turned eyesore has been demolished, thanks to St. Mary.

Grass has been cut, and more work is planned on the lot of Arlington.

At a recent board of aldermen meeting, six dilapidated houses were put on a list for demolition. Several others were addressed earlier in the year.

In the world of tourism, the city rolled out a special package this hunting season for the wives of hunters looking to enjoy things finer than a deer stand in the woods.

Christmas in Natchez: City of Lights is a movement to introduce a new season of tourism and something new to do and see that didn’t previously exist.

The community overwhelming said yes to a recreation complex.

Downtown Development has continued successful First Friday weekends, aimed at drawing crowds to downtown shops once a month.

And at least one local leader has publicly mentioned merging two youth baseball leagues predominately separated by race. On a larger unity scale, city/county government consolidation is once again on the table for talks.

Would our first impression to a passerby today be much different than it was this time last year? Probably not.

But a week after yet another study — this one specifically focused on economic development — it’s easy to look back and see some small steps in the right direction.

The EDA study released last Friday has a familiar page — strengths and weaknesses (they use the word challenges.)

The pluses? The river, tourism, our history.

The negatives? Lack of togetherness, communication, racial tension, education and city and county governments.

No study, no matter how glossy, thick or chart-filled it may be, is going to point out something our community members don’t already realize.

But sometimes just putting it on paper and focusing on the small steps is the key to long-term improvement.

Though we want to ultimately impress the passersby, the most important thing is that we are happy with our own progress.

After all, we are probably our own worst critics.

Julie Cooper is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or julie.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.