This paper describes a decision making framework for library networking which can be used by individual libraries, groups of cooperating libraries, or centralized services to evaluate current operations and define alternative approaches to automation and networking. It is noted that networking has not yet achieved its full potential because of a lack of understanding of how networking can help individual organizations and because network structures have often been imposed upon organizations without regard to their economic considerations. Six interdependent dimensions of the decision making framework are outlined, including: (1) library operational, user related, and derived functions to be performed through cooperative activities; (2) types of access to resource sharing information (logical and physical); (3) types of materials handled; (4) services and products to be offered as an outcome of networking activities; (5) networking configurations or the relationships between the participants in the networking activity; and (6) the mode of communication between networking participants. A table listing library products and services related to each network function is presented, as well as an explanation of how to use the conceptual framework for decision making by utilizing the function dimension as a base dimension, selecting options for each of the remaining dimensions, and subjecting the options to a detailed economic analysis. (Author/ESR)