FREE FOR ALL: THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, a new documentary premiering on PBS 
April 29, chronicles the fascinating evolution 
of the American public library, from the original “Free Library Movement” 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. Director Dawn Logsdon had visited over 100 libraries by the time she was 12 as she and her 
teacher-parents road-tripped across America during their summer vacations. In FREE FOR ALL: THE PUBLIC LIBRARY she and co-director Lucie 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 profiles inspiring librarians past and present, mostly women, who have dedicated their lives to upholding the 
library’s integral position within our democracy, spreading literacy, offering solace and refuge, and uplifting their communities. Co-directors Lucie Faulknor (Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans) and Dawn Logsdon (Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton) join us to talk about the enduring importance of libraries as a public gathering place, a no cost opportunity for self education and a public institution that has consistently stood for unfettered access to controversial ideas.
For more go to: pbs.org/independentlens/free-for-all
A film by Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor, “Free For All: The Public Library”will debut on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 10 p.m. (check local listings). The film will also be available to stream on the PBS app.
About the filmmaker – Producer / Director / Editor / Narrator Dawn Logsdon has been dedicated to making films about civic issues and city life, particularly at the neighborhood level. She directed and produced Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans (2008), which premiered at the Tribeca Festival and went on to win the SFIFF Golden Gate Award for Best Documentary and was a PBS Black History Month feature presentation three years in a row. Logsdon co-directed and edited Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton (2013) and Lindy Boggs: Steel and Velvet (2008). She edited the Sundance Award-winning Paragraph 175 by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Freidman, Academy Award-nominated Weather Underground by Sam Green, Emmy Award-winning Have You Heard from Johannesburg? by Connie Field, and the Peabody Award-winning The Castro by Peter Stein. Short films she produced and directed include Tomboy, which was exhibited at the Whitney Museum and aired on PBS. Logsdon received a BA in Philosophy from UC Berkeley. Her honors include a Soros OSI Media Fellowship, California Arts Council Artist Residency, BAVC Media Maker Award, Djerassi Artist Residency, Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowship, New Orleans Contemporary Art Center Artist Fellowship, and the New Orleans Arts Council Award.
About the filmmaker – Producer / Co-Director Lucie Faulknor produced and researched Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans and has worked with award-winning directors Dorothy Fadiman and Lynn Hershman-Leeson in the areas of fundraising, publicity, outreach and community engagement. Faulknor has also produced Dublin, Ireland’s first Women in Film & Television film festival and presented a lecture series that included Laurie Anderson, Bobby McFerrin, Wayne Shorter, Sydney Pollack and others. She has worked for a number of arts organizations, including City Arts & Lectures, SFJAZZ, Palace of Fine Arts Theater, the Irish Arts Foundation, Stern Grove Festival, Yerba Buena Gardens, Dublin (IRL) Fringe Festival and for a number individual performing and visual artists including Jim Campilongo, Storm Large, Tracy Snelling and Kevin Woodson. She has a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration from USF’s School of Business & Professional Studies and a BA in Arts Management from SFSU. Faulknor is a fourth generation San Francisco Public Library user.
SOCIAL MEDIA
facebook.com/FreeForAllFilm
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instagram.com/logsdondawn
instagram.com/freeforallfilm
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