Join us in person only for this celebratory event highlighting Jayne Hoffman’s new book, River Falls Public Library: The Legacy of its Founding Mothers. This inspiring history chronicles how local women’s organizations championed the creation of the town’s public library. Through decades of advocacy, fundraising, and creative solutions, women’s groups—including the Tuesday Club, Home Culture Club, and Improvement League—transformed River Falls’ literary landscape. Extensively researched, this book documents how the town’s founding mothers created both an institution and a legacy of civic leadership that continues to enrich the community.
Following Jayne’s book presentation, we’ll view and screening of Free for A: The Public Library an Independent Lens production about how public libraries shaped the country and continue to be a sanctuary for Americans everywhere. 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. Popcorn served!