This guidebook is one in the Target Topic Series developed to highlight issues and concerns related to effective community education operation. It is intended for the community educator and community education advisory council member who want to assure themselves that their community education program is truly meeting community needs. The material explains how to identify the interests and problems in a community and how to identify community resources to serve the interests and solve the problems. A pretest covers material discussed in the guidebook. The guidebook covers both components of the community assessment: needs assessment and resource assessment. It describes different methods of needs assessment, lists guidelines for survey instruments, and takes the reader through the community assessment process from planning to developing and conducting needs and resource assessments and finally through organizing the information for program planning. A posttest repeats the pretest questions. Appendixes include suggested sources for additional help and information in community assessment, a planning schedule for needs assessment, guideline criteria for a survey procedure, a community facility inventory chart, and survey form for community residents. (YLB)