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Community needs analysis is the foundation of library planning, whether for day to day operations or a major library expansion.   To plan and spend resources wisely, we need to know all we can about our users (and non-users!)  Up-to-date statistics – and the “people” stories that back up the numbers –  are our best advocacy tools.  

The Arizona State Library has a great web site on community needs assessment and analysis:  http://www.lib.az.us/cdt/commneeds.htm 

Steven M. Cohen writes in his Libraries Build Communities blog that community assessment is an active process:

“Get out from behind that desk! How can one effectively ascertain what the community needs and what types of populations to serve if the librarian stays in the library all day. Get out into the community and take part in meetings, serve on civic boards, and be a community citizen and leader. Waiting for patrons to come into the library and ascertaining their needs is only half the picture. There may be an entire piece of the population that never uses the library. It’s easier to reach patrons that walk in the door, but they already know about the library, right? There’s probably a reason why non-library users are non-library users. Figure out why.”

Take a look at the presentation linked below on "Gathering Community Input" (2000 REFORMA National Conference.)   Includes tips on how to: 

• Identify and contact community leaders who can help you to gain understanding of your community
• Gather useful statistics and other information
• Analyze information once it has been collected 

• Interviewing Techniques for Gathering Community Input