Informal learning constantly happens all around us. Informal learning approaches often stand in stark contrast to school practices and standards, receive little attention in the formal study of education, and present a great deal of untapped opportunity to support learners. Mendoso Community Library (MCL) is a particularly interesting illustration of a citizen-generated informal learning space. Using portraiture to capture the essential essence of informal learning at the library and how it influences the town's broader learning system, interviews with library supporters and young adult patrons reveal that the library served as a critical space for youth identity development, self-directed learning across generations, and community care. Specifically, I find that the self-directed, informal learning that occurred at and around Mendoso Community Library - amplified by thousands of neighbors - rippled out into the community through its impact on the children of the area (i.e., the "library kids''). Additionally, its values-focused approach to library programs, its influence on local governance structures, and its resonance in nearby and similarly situated towns all worked in concert to change the external narrative about Mendoso, from flood-stricken and undesirable to innovative, up-and-coming, and inclusive. Such findings have implications for how we recognize, understand, design, and assess the community-directed learning that happens in our neighborhoods during out-of-school-time. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]