Our Library: A Louisville Documentary by Morgan Atkinson

This 2018 documentary produced by Morgan Atkinson, is an examination of that most valuable community treasure — the Free Public Library. This thought-provoking video explores the value, meaning and impact of a free library. Is the community’s investment in a public library at least equal to its benefit from it? How does a library survive the spiraling momentum of digitizing text and making all ‘content’ increasingly available through computers and mobile devices.

Atkinson has fun with this deep topic, taking the audience on a tour of Kentucky’s largest public library system, Louisville. Along the way, the importance of a library to a democracy unfolds. Acclaimed Louisville actor/musician, Will Oldham, is the quirky yet reliably knowledgeable tour guide, playfully exposing the challenges faced by the public library system, while pointing to intriguing details of its history at varied branch locations.

Library relevance. This is the bottom-line quest and question of “Our Library”. Louisville’s library system is an ideal setting for this journey. We see closings of library branches, openings of others, and an insiders look at the library staples which keep the value of the library alive for generations to come. In other programs, Atkinson has taken viewers behind the walls of a monastery and inside the locker room of a basketball team. Now he shows why the public library is one of the most important institutions in a community.

It takes many hands, minds and hearts to make a documentary. The following deserve sincere thanks as well as credit for bringing “Our Library” to the screen.

Written and Produced by Morgan C. Atkinson Edited by Steve Hurst, Videobred, Inc

This program was made viable through the initial support of Hardscuffle Inc/American Life in memory of Mary Hardaway Griffith.

The generosity of many others enabled it to progress: The Cookie Project Friends of the Louisville Free Public Library Louisville Free Public Library Foundation David Andrews Ann Bell Roby Bell Roberto Bonazzi Bruce Brantley Charles Buddeke Craig Buthod Karen Cassidy Sara Foerster Tom Foerster Ralph Haas Donna and John Hall Patrice Huckaby Laura Krueger Judy Lippmann William McNulty Sallie Rhyne Rosella Rudd Kathleen Sandman Mike Scholtz James Sedwick Don Stevens Laura Thomas Mike Ward Teka Ward David Wicks Dan Wolf

The Louisville Film Society provided fiscal sponsorship for this program Duckworks, Inc received tax incentives from the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Production Team Photography Sean Anderson Morgan C. Atkinson Mark Crowner Will Hartsock Tommy Johns John Kasey Ben Newkirk

Music Cheyenne Mize Enoch Kim Bob Ramsey Pat Lentz First Com

Songs “Power and the Glory”, written by Phil Ochs, 1964. Performed by Will Oldham “Who Doesn’t Love A Library”, by Morgan C. Atkinson & Yalonda JD Green “Benchmark Cities Blues”, by Morgan C. Atkinson and the Naysayers

Singers Yalonda JD Green Will Oldham The Benchmark Bluesmen—Jim Blanton, Lee Burchfield, Seth Cohen

Post Audio Chris Greenwell, Downtown Recording

Field Audio William Hartsock Tommy Johns

Photographs & Images Photos of 2009 flood from Louisville Free Public Library, thank you Paul Burns The Library of Congress “The Library In America” by Paul Dickson Karen Gray, for use of Guelph Carnegie Library photo Johna Picco, Filson Historical Society WAVE TV & Kevin Harned Courier-Journal and Louisville Times Harpers Weekly, Peter Newell (Carnegie cartoon) Steve Eilers- Bloody Monday art Ethel King- Parkland Library drawing Al Moreschi, graphic support

Thank You’s Gray Zeitz, Larkspur Press, Sarah Marlowe, Blanton House, Kelly Dunnagan Laura Kelleher & Barbara Ledford-Crescent Hill Branch Library, Friends of the Parkland Library John Crowner, Ken Neuhauser & Mr. Mustache, Krystal Pound & family Dr. Elizabeth Fairhead

Chorus 1 Judy Lippmann Makei Brandon Capt. David Stallings Michael Troutman Theresa Burns Colin Drake Pat Zimmerman

Chorus 2 Belinda Catman Greg Fischer Tiffany Mananga Pat Zimmerman Rachel Allen Daemon Couture Paul Howard Jackie Evans Ron Whitehead Eleanor Jordan Paul McGee

This is a production of the Cookie Project