Museums and libraries already provide strong support and enrichment for formal K–12 education
and create a dynamic environment for free-choice learning designed to engage learners
throughout their lifetime. However, developments in technology and information access
combined with changes in methods of formal and alternative education will impact how
museums and libraries deliver educational services. If museums and libraries seek to create
the conditions for a nation of learners in the United States, it is their role to understand how
people want to learn, build, and share knowledge in the 21 st century and provide the services
and creative environment necessary to meet those lifelong learning needs.