Proceedings of a conference on independent research institutions and scholarly life in the 1980s, which was sponsored by the Institute for Research in History, are presented. Summaries of workshops and the general session transcript are presented along with an introductory essay. A working papers essay is also included to delineate the major areas for discussion, including the following: relationship with academe, professionalism, standards and scholarly products, changes in the definition of professionalism, ethics, funding, and internal organization. It is suggested that currently no cohesive independent sector exists in the scholarly world of the humanities; instead, there are many groups with a variety of interests and problems. For the future, it is advocated that the independent sector establish its own identity and work out a relationship with the university that minimizes competition and encourages complementarity. Questions pertaining to professionalism that should be addressed include: the relationship between employment and research, the adoption of standards for scholarly products and services, and the need for new or more stringent ethics. Standards are needed for new scholarly products that are being produced, such as films, tapes, pictorial essays, and art exhibits. Ethical concerns include differences between research carried on in graduate schools or academic centers and "applied" research; how an institution or organization defines itself and its constituency shapes the projects for which funding will be sought. The introductory essay to the publication is "The Emergence of an Independent Scholarly Sector: History as a Case Study with a Select Bibliography" (Marjorie Lightman). (SW)