The Developing Partnerships project is a 5-year program intended to develop distance education programs in institutions of higher education in Northern Ontario, to establish an extensive information network called Contact North/Contact Nord, and to conduct research into areas considered appropriate for quality distance education delivery. The objectives of the project were to document: (1) how distance learners currently manage with the present limits of material resources and human services from various libraries; (2) what problems with resources and services are experienced directly by four constituencies--the students, academic and public library staff, and faculty; (3) what ideas those constituents have for upgrading material resources and people-based services; and (4) what changes or continuities in library practice are needed in order to carry out realistic and creative recommendations for distance education development. To elicit information from the four groups involved, four unique surveys were administered. The results of the survey are reported in terms of the study objectives for each of the constituencies and a model for developing partnerships is proposed. Recommendations designed to operationalize the relationships between the components of the model conclude the narrative report, which also includes the basic assumptions underlying the study, a literature review, and a description of the methodology. Copies of the four surveys, 19 tables depicting the results of data analyses, and a 65-item selected bibliography on library services to off-campus students are appended. (59 references) (SD)