AUBURN — Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, Independent Lens, and the Auburn Public Library are hosting an event featuring a shortened, preview version of “Free for All: The Public Library,” followed by a discussion.

The event is set for 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27, in the Androscoggin Community Room at the 49 Spring St. library.

“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, according to a news release from Izzy Ruta, the library’s adult services manager.

The public library is one of America’s most valued yet endangered institutions. 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.

After the screening, Auburn librarians will host an interactive discussion 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.

“Free for All: The Public Library” will debut at 10 p.m. April 29 on PBS and the PBS app (check local listings). For more information, visit Independent Lens.

For more information, visit auburnpubliclibrary.org or call the Reference Desk at 207-333-6640 ext. 4.