Although lifelong learning was a term created to mean cradle-to-grave learning, it has come to mean specifically adult learning and education. The adult learning force in the U.S. is huge and growing in size as well as interest. Since eighty-five percent of the active adult learners are high school graduates, they are eligible for postsecondary education. Many enroll in the formal programs offered by colleges and universities, but an even larger number spend time on self-directed, informal learning projects. Four social forces are contributing to this increase in adult education: (1) national pressure for expanded educational opportunities, which has resulted in learning no longer being tied to a physical location; (2) a combination of decreased emphasis on the credentials of the educational provider and increased emphasis on the credentials of the learner, permitting academic credit for experiential learning; (3) recognition of the necessity for, and pleasure derived from, lifelong learning; and (4) the societal shift from a linear life plan to a blended life plan, which has been produced, in part, by the job shortage. Educational providers for lifelong learning are a diverse group including libraries, museums, and television as well as schools. As they develop their unique educational strengths, they will continue to provide education with a diversity of options. (ELG)