Breakout: Assessing Community Needs
Excellent library services are grounded in a deep understanding of community needs. In this session, we will introduce approaches for assessing community needs (as well as community assets, interests, and goals) and for identifying the library’s role in responding to those needs. Participants will learn the process of assessing community needs and consider a variety of methods for gathering and analyzing data about community needs. Participants will explore two methods in-depth through real-world examples and strategies they can take back to their libraries.