Free for All: The Public Library

Join us on Tuesday, June 3rd at 1pm to kick off the summer reading season with the newly released documentary, Free for All: The Public Library.

This exciting new documentary premiered on PBS Indie Lens in April. The film chronicles the evolution of the nation’s public libraries, tracing the battles over who can enter, what belongs there, and who makes these decisions, while exploring how public spaces are defined and defended.

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. A couple Wisconsin libraries are highlighted in the film.

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.

The film lasts an hour and there will be time for a talkback with the Library Director, Linda Eastwood, and others following the film for those who want to stay and engage.

Refreshments and a drawing for a prize basket will also be a part of the event.

No registration needed.