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Introduction Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. —John Cotton Dana (1856–1929), Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations (2010) Learning can be defined as the purposeful or incidental acquiring of infor- mation and skills throughout a person’s life that affects his or her life in a cognitive, emotional, and practical way (Jarvis 2018, 25). Why would a book about teaching start with a definition of learning? Because that is the entire point and the goal of all teaching: the people who are being taught learn. While “learning” is often associated with formal institutions and certain periods of life, public libraries are in the forefront of resources and have the capabilities to offer lifelong learning opportunities to adult popu- lations. Librarians and library staff who have an understanding of how and why adults learn can utilize that knowledge to enhance every transaction, from the basic reference interview to formal classes and programs. The past one hundred years have produced a quantity of valuable research and theories on how adults learn so that instructors can package and present information in a way that increases a person’s ability to learn. In its applica- tion to the library world, the vast majority of research and literature focuses academic libraries. These works address the particular situations and needs of college students, often focusing on the rising population of nontraditional, or older, students on campus. Adult learning theory and practice as applied to public libraries suffers in comparison to academic libraries in terms of research, textbooks, and professional literature. This work addresses how public libraries can take an active role in learning opportunities for adults. Libraries and their staff can use these theories, practices, and suggestions to