Museums, libraries, zoos, parks, historical sites, and other cultural institutions can be vehicles for much self-directed learning. This article reviews these opportunities and efforts to utilize them. It discusses cultural institutions as invitational environments, conditions of learning in cultural institutions, and tools and initiatives for…

Discusses ways in which schools, libraries, and other cultural institutions can help students develop their own thoughts and foster a desire for lifelong learning. Schools and cultural institutions are compared, libraries are described as places for critical thinking, and a model for school information service is presented that stresses…