In partnership with Indie Lens Pop-Up, ITVS and PBS’ “INDEPENDENT LENS,” Patten Free Library will host a preview screening and discussion of “Free for All: The Public Library” (“INDEPENDENT LENS” Season 26, Episode 16) next Wednesday.

“Free for All: The Public Library” tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all. The preview screening will feature a shortened version of the episode at 5:30 p.m. on May 14, followed by a panel discussion with Lesley Dolinger, Patten Free Library director; Elizabeth Manning, Patten Free Library assistant director; Sen. Denise Tepler, D-Topsham; and Meg Barker, library ed tech at Fisher Mitchell School and founder of Embark Maine Tours. The panel will talk about how public libraries shaped the country and continue to be a sanctuary for Americans everywhere, despite the threats to funding the civic institution has faced in recent years.

The public library is one of America’s most valued yet endangered institutions, the library said in a prepared release. Director Dawn Logsdon travels the United States, discovering historic and modern-day figures, especially women, who contributed to the library’s integral position within democracy. “Free for All: The Public Library” 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 commons are defined and defended. The episode debuted on PBS April 29.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit patten-lib.libcal.com/event/14496857.

Indie Lens Pop-Up is a community series that brings people together for film screenings and conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s “INDEPENDENT LENS,” Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders and organizations to discuss what matters most. Learn more at pbs.org/indielenspopup.