The cultivation of curiosity and interest in children for their own pleasure and for their place in the world around them is a significant factor in each student's well-being as well as the future of society. Many educators think that schools no longer provide a curriculum that develops curiosity, creativity, and personal interests in young children. The library media specialist's role in the student-centered curriculum can play an important role in nurturing this creative process. Library media specialists need to engage students' hearts and minds in the learning process and emphasize the love of learning through personal interest. The "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" provides a fundamental resource for library media centers because the importance of personal interest is recognized both as a motivational factor and as a means to an end. This two-part article discusses the model used at the Independent Learning Centre Project at Concordia Lutheran College, an Australian K-12 co-educational day and boarding college. In this first part, the author discusses how the applications of the "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" used in the Independent Learning Centre Project can revive the importance of library media centers and the role of the teacher librarian to impact the learning lives of students. The second part of the article, planned for February 2009 publication, will discuss how developing creativity and personal interest in students through the Learning Centre Project can bring about changes, and provide examples of student work. (Contains 2 figures.)