Free for All: The Public Library

Premiered April 29, 2025

Directed by Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor

How public libraries shaped a nation and remain a beloved sanctuary for Americans today.

About the Documentary

Free for All: The Public Library tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today's librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all.

The Filmmakers

Dawn Logsdon

Dawn Logsdon produced, directed, and edited Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, and co-directed Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton. Her editing credits include Jacques Pepin: The Art of Craft, The Weather Underground, Paragraph 175, The Castro, The Vanishing Line, and Have You Heard From Johannesburg among others.

Lucie Faulknor

Lucie Faulknor is an arts management and documentary film professional. Founder at Serendipity Films, LLC, she produced the award-winning documentary Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans. Lucie has worked with SFJAZZ, City Arts & Lectures, Dublin Fringe Festival, and more. She holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration.

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Special Collections at the Boston Public Library, as a woman reads in the semi darkened room at a desk, with a desk lamp making her glow

Beyond the Films