In the competitive Higher Education environment, it is no longer sufficient for special collections to rely on the "uniqueness" of a collection as its unique selling point--it must be supported by a service and strategic plan that is both proactive in anticipating the demands of future researchers and responsive to current researchers' changing needs. Edinburgh University's Centre for Research Collections (CRC) is addressing this challenge for the first time in a coordinated manner, employing a suite of research methods that allow staff to take an evidence based approach to service development and strategic planning. These include ethnographic observation, structured surveys, object-based learning initiatives, comprehensive data interrogation, and active engagement with the University's academic schools. This article examines how these approaches have been utilized in the development of CRC services, and its benefit to long-term planning.