Guidelines that are designed to facilitate interinstitutional resource sharing are presented for trustees, legislators, business and lay leaders and educators based on a 1981 national conference. Attention is directed to the range of potential benefits of resource sharing, the structures and processes for achieving resource sharing, and the action steps that are needed to initiate resource sharing. Some of the general goals that can be realized through the pooling of institutional resources include: planned diversity of programs, new educational opportunities, improved quality of programs, costs avoidance and effectiveness, coordinated public relations, access to other regional resources and support, and greater institutional stability. Joint endeavors may include cooperative course offerings, student and faculty exchange, joint staff and faculty development, shared facilities, mergers, regional telecommunications, statewide group purchasing, interstate analyses and planning, and nationwide student recruitment and admissions. Three general ways to encourage resource sharing are: to recognize and support the cooperative leadership of institutional staff; to provide financial incentives; and to apply political and public persuasion. Alternative structures for resource sharing include: special purpose cooperative arrangement, long-range consortia, community and regional groupings of institutions, statewide associations and systems, interstate contracts and compacts, national networks and linkages, international agreements, and various combinations of structures. A list of conference participants and a brochure, "Policy Advice on Resource Sharing in Higher Education," are appended. (SW)