PBS Indie Lens Documentary : "Free For All"

Program Type:

History, Movies, Special Event

Age Group:

Teens, Adults
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Program Description

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Please join us for a special screening of "Free For All," a PBS Indie Lens documentary celebrating public libraries!

Directors Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor traveled the US, discovering unsung historic and modern-day figures, often women, who contributed to the library’s integral position within democracy. The film charts the institution’s trajectory from America’s original Free Library Movement that began in the mid-19th century to current struggles in a digital age amidst budget cuts, closures, and polarizing book bans. Following the stories of public library visitors and staff striving to implement innovative policies, the documentary celebrates a civic institution whose offerings are free and whose doors are open to all.

The film explores the following themes:

  1. American democracy, civic ideals, and the public square;
  2. Literacy and citizenship;
  3. Women’s contributions to the public library movement;
  4. Segregation, immigration, and racial justice; and
  5. Libraries and contemporary public spaces. 

Watch a trailer of the film here.

Registration is requested but not required.

 

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