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A beloved American institution, the public library’s founding principle is simple: build a place where anyone can enter, free of charge, and encounter a universe of ideas. “Free For All: The Public Library,” premiered last night on on INDEPENDENT LENS on WGBH, with a cameo shot of the Franklin Public Library, America's first free public library.
Although lengthy interview with Franklin staff and interior shots ended up "on the cutting room floor" according to the producers, the program still fully chronicles the fascinating evolution of the American public library’s trajectory, from the original “Free Library Movement” that began in the late 19th century to the present, when many libraries find themselves caught in the crosshairs of the culture wars and struggling to survive amid budget cuts and closures.
A film by Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor, “Free For All: The Public Library” will be available to stream on the PBS app and is planned for a local showing at a future date.
By the time she was 12, director Dawn Logsdon had visited over 100 libraries in almost every state as she and her teacher-parents road-tripped across America during their summer vacations. In “Free for All,” she and co-director Faulknor embark on a new journey—a fun and eye-opening jaunt from Louisiana to California, Massachusetts to Wisconsin, New York to Oregon, and more, visiting landmark sites in library history and uncovering the stories of the colorful personalities who shaped our libraries and the communities they serve.
The film highlights inspiring librarians, past and present, mostly women dedicated to upholding the library’s integral position within our democracy, spreading literacy, offering solace and refuge, and uplifting their communities.
Among the stories discovered is that of Ernestine Rose, a librarian on New York’s Lower East Side who was one of the early pioneers in providing books in languages other than English; she also hired the New York Public Library’s first African American librarians, including Regina Andrews, who helped transform an uptown library branch into an intellectual and artistic hub of the Harlem Renaissance.
Contemporary librarians include Elizabeth Timmons, who knows all of her rural Wisconsin patrons by name and their literary preferences, and Tameka Roby, who drives the East Baton Rouge bookmobile, providing books and other services to kids, families, andseniors. And, in the nation’s capital, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden recalls becoming “all choked up,” thinking about how she, a descendant of enslaved people, is now in charge of America’s “temple of knowledge.”
“Our hope is that this film inspires viewers to see libraries anew—as dynamic, vital institutions at the heart of democracy,” said filmmakers Faulknor and Logsdon. “Libraries are more than places where stories are stored; they are where communities are built, where futures are imagined, and where dignity is upheld.”
“Libraries are the beacon of communities where they provide access to knowledge, community, and engagement and are often overlooked, but ‘Free For All’ is the story of how a simple idea shaped our nation,” said Lois Vossen, executive producer of INDEPENDENT LENS. Visit the “Free for All: The Public Library” page on INDEPENDENT LENS to learn more about the film
