ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a critical view of library services in the UK and Canada who assume that they know what the community wants and needs, based on their professional knowledge and/or official statistics. Community profiles had been a feature of the more progressive UK public library authorities since the 1970s. The wave of community librarianship which swept across London and other metropolitan areas was informed by an attempt to understand the needs of local communities. The Community-Led Service Model is a key to the phase of community-led service planning, library staff conducting effective individual and community-based needs assessments. Wirral Inquiry represented a quantum leap forward for UK public libraries, many of whom had paid lip service to the issue of assessing community needs. There was a general consensus that decisions about services, opening hours and locations must be based on consultation and research in the community.
