Collection assessment is rising in importance in academic libraries. Identifying gaps in collections, determining which resources are no longer useful, and assessing for diversity, equity and inclusion are all topics of discussion at conferences and in the literature. But why wait to identify the gaps in our collections when we can prevent them now? Collection development is a skill practiced by most academic subject librarians. However, with many institutions shrinking the number of librarians available to do collection development, not to mention our shrinking materials budgets, this task often doesn't get the attention it deserves. We will also share how the development of Lamson Library's nascent collection assessment program is already informing collection development strategies. Assessment methods such as user surveys can identify teaching faculty who may have a strong interest in participating in collection development. Checking against authoritative lists can migrate from the librarian's assessment toolkit to the collection development toolkit. Identifying gaps in our collections is often the best way to learn strategies for filling them in the future. Attendees will learn: - Strategies for selecting resources that reflect the diversity of our world - How to identify books not on an approval plan or reviewed by CHOICE - How collection assessment initiatives can help inform collection development (with examples)