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For these potential partners to devote time, energy and talents to USEIN, incentives for participation must be identified and advertised. In their discussion of USEIN, the NLE Advisory Task Force identified resource sharing as a primary incentive for the participation of these potential partners in this new national information network. Therefore USEIN must develop ways in which the partners can "conserve resources and maximize the strengths of each public and private sector partner". (NLE Advisory Task Force, 1997, p. 3) These steps in conserving resources can include both the "location of scarce items" and avoidance of "the needless duplication of resources while maximizing assistance to users". (NLE Advisory Task Force, 1997, p. 3) This necessity for resource sharing is an outgrowth of current trends in the purchasing power of America’s libraries:
The inability of libraries to secure budgets that keep pace with increasing costs is compounded by expectations of users for electronic access for all resources-preferably in full text. User expectations that technology will solve information access problems do, however, provide another perspective on potential incentives for collaboration if USEIN assumes a leadership role in using technology for resource sharing and staff development at all levels of education.
In their discussion of the Internet and its role as a communication medium for education research Silva and Cartwright stated that the "...greatest challenge facing modern society and civilization is how to cope with information and transform it into knowledge." (p. 9) They further noted that the Internet can assist in this knowledge transformation process by serving as a medium for cooperation among educational agencies across the pre-school through university spectrum. This cooperation is seen as a way of revitalizing K-12 education through the provision of resources and expertise from the University community. As proponents of action research and professional development schools will attest, this sharing of expertise can also benefit the University community as its members learn from K-12 educators.
The impact of technology can also provide support for collaboration in the area of professional development. Traditional professional development can also be "streamlined, expanded in scope and speeded up by incorporating the Internet". (Monty, p. 8) The use of the Internet for professional development lessens reliance on institutional support, allows the users to participate in professional development activities in their own time and space and provides a multinational, multidimensional emphasis. This emphasis on self directed professional development provides an opportunity for leadership and community involvement in staff development that is linked with positive student outcomes in school improvement activities. (OERI, 1994)
As incentives for participation are developed, the leaders of NLE and of USEIN must keep the four elements essential for the success of any jointly sponsored program clearly in mind. USEIN must be responsive to member needs, involve members in program development, have the support of senior administrators and have active channels of communication systematically maintained. (Wylie, p. 108) The USEIN infrastructure must provide for the institutionalization of good ideas, quality control as new programs begin, accountability, centralized coordination of collaboration, and provide for reciprocal collaborations. (Teitel, p. 70-71)
Incentives for participation in collaborative activities and networks have been discussed in the literature regarding school university cooperation as well as the relationship between higher education and industry. (Agne, Allum, Brookhart, Hilton, Shakeshaft) USEIN partners must be assured that they can fully participate in USEIN without compromising their own missions. Incentives for participation include the "formal linkages which flow from informal contacts". (Melchiori, p. 15-16) Additional incentives for collaboration which have been discussed in the literature include the abilities of these activities to foster the growth and vitality of the staff, to provide conferences and workshop programs which are demand based and answer to the needs of the participants in the network and to support cross institutional mentoring. USEIN can contribute to the development of all partners by assuming programmatic risks that are too great for any one institution and by working with subgroups of the partners in securing grants that advance the goals of USEIN and its members.
The United States Agricultural Information Network provides an example of a collaboration forum in support of a national library. Initial discussions regarding USAIN were held at the 1988 American Library Association Conference. These discussions focused on establishing a network whose purpose would be "fostering and advancing access to agricultural information through cooperation of agricultural librarians and information specialists". (Thomas, p. 113) The membership of USAIN is drawn from land grant universities, schools and colleges of agriculture, special libraries, vendors and publishers. The objectives of USAIN are "to provide a forum for discussion of agricultural issues; to take a leadership role in the formation of a national information policy as related to agriculture; to make recommendations to the National Library of Agriculture (NAL) on agricultural information matters; and, to promote cooperation and communication among its members in order to strengthen agricultural libraries and other sources of agricultural information. (USAIN Bylaws). USAIN’s inaugural meeting was held in November 1990 with 100 agricultural information professionals in attendance. (Powell, p. 204)
Many of the incentives for membership in USAIN parallel those which will be important to the partners in USEIN. Like libraries in the education sector, agricultural libraries have lacked a professional organization that concentrated solely on its interests. The presence of related sections and divisions in both the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Special Libraries Association resulted in a divided constituency for agricultural interests. (Thomas, p . 114) This divided constituency for education interests is further compounded by the division of librarians interested in education issues not only between the Educational and Behavioral Sciences Section of ACRL and the Education Division of the Special Libraries Association but also among the Association American of School Librarians, the Public Library Association and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Another parallel is the opportunity for communication among librarians, researchers and practitioners in agriculture which USAIN provides. USEIN will provide an opportunity at the national level for this collaboration among all elements of the education information community. The role of USAIN to provide "educational and professional development opportunities for agricultural information specialists" through biennial USAIN conferences, the encouragement of exchanges and internships, co-sponsoring programs with other agencies and the dissemination of professional information can also serve as a model for USEIN activities which will provide incentives for members to actively participate. (USAIN Action Plan, 1997)
Additional incentives for membership which can be gained from the experiences of USAIN were identified in surveys of USAIN members. In a 1996 survey of current members, respondents identified the following incentives for joining USAIN. These were, in order of priority, the subject matter, the opportunity for communication with other professionals, the opportunity to network with other institutions and the availability of programs which focused on agricultural information. Thirty-five percent of the 62 respondents had not had an opportunity to attend a USAIN conference. Among the general comments made in the survey was a suggestion that USAIN develop a Web site for the sharing of course syllabi and other resources. (USAIN, March 1997) A survey of twenty four lapsed USAIN members also conducted in 1996 provides further insights on incentives for participation in a collaborative network. The major reasons cited for dropping membership were the high cost of membership dues and meeting attendance. Inducements for the lapsed members to return to USAIN included complimentary membership, the inclusion of corporate librarians, a stronger differentiation from the goals of competing associations, and a focus on serving line staff as well as administrators.
USEIN can learn much from the ten year experience of USAIN (which in the words of Toni Powell, 1997 USAIN Chair) has progressed through the stages of "forming, storming to norming." Key elements in the continued development of USAIN which were identified by Powell during the 1997 USEIN Kick-off conference were
An additional incentive for USEIN members is the opportunity for increased access to information about the National Library of Education. As a new player in the education information community, NLE’s potential to provide assistance to all other members is valued. Therefore, membership in USEIN can serve to increase the opportunity for all education information community members to learn about NLE, the Department of Education and other federal agencies concerned with education.
If this expanded knowledge base is developed as a key benefit of USEIN membership, then potential partners will recognize an inherent value in involvement in USEIN.
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