Learning Is for Everyone.

Learning Is for Everyone, or its ac ronym LIFE, is the name of a unique li brary program of the Altoona Area Public Library, Altoona, Pennsylvania. As a forerunner in services to the mentally re tarded, the project began in September 1975 under funding from Title I of the Li brary Services and Construction Act. As a result of my experience as director of that program, I have formulated specific recommendations for public librarians seeking to serve the mentally retarded. The LIFE program encompasses three major objectives: 1. To serve mentally retarded persons of all ages and ability levels. 2. To serve the parents, teachers, and advocates of retarded citizens. 3. To serve the general public. In order to understand the program, it is necessary to understand its impetus. Over the past decade, the number of mentally retarded citizens living and work ing in the community has steadily in creased. This increase represents a shift in philosophy regarding the mentally retarded and the handicapped in general. The shift is toward a concept of equal opportunities for all citizens. "Mainstreaming" is the term commonly used to define this change. As the term has been used frequently and in different ways during the last few years, confusion regarding its meaning is natural. The Pennsylvania Association for Re tarded Citizens is one of the major advo cacy groups supporting mainstreaming and aiding in its realization. This agency has defined the term as follows: