American Indian people have demonstrated their desire and need for responsive information service. It is fitting and appropriate that careful assessment, planning, implementation, and cooperation with other information agencies will enable the local reservation library to provide its community with the proper information, at the proper time, and in the appropriate format. This paper examines the processes involved in developing a community information needs assessment, viewed in relation to American Indian reservation communities. Topics which are addressed in the assessment are social characteristics of the people, neighborhood characteristics, appropriate information classification schemes, and strategies currently in use by the community in addressing its information concerns. To assure the effectiveness of the needs assessment and its resulting programs, early and continuous community involvement, appropriate staff assistance, faulty assumptions, and evaluation of activities must be considered. The development of a total library program following the community-needs profile must include the design and structure of the facility, content of the library's program, elements of library operation, collection development, and accessibility. Also important is the role of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in providing information and referral services to local reservation libraries via regional libraries linked to national data bases. (NEC)