A description is presented of the first two years of a review that assessed the State Level Information Base (SLIB) project of the National Center for Higher Education Management. The Council of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities undertook this investigation to determine the relevance of an externally developed data system for independent colleges and also to develop procedures for including the independent sector in any planning activities that would take place in the states as they implemented SLIB. Policy recommendations made by the Council are summarized. Appendices provide a list of concerns to be covered in a policy statement regarding data requests, the proposed data brokerage function for the state association, a description of the research committee that was established within the Council to direct the data brokerage function for the association, a detailed discussion of the potential that exists for research based on government surveys, a list of the planning concerns suggested by SLIB, and the responses that the task force made to the data collection tables listed in the field review edition of the SLIB Manual. (SW)