St. Louis Public Library named pilot site for jazz documentary film and discussion series

The St. Louis Public Library is one of 43 public and academic libraries nationwide named as pilot sites for the documentary film viewing and discussion series "Looking At: Jazz, America's Art Form."

According to a news release from the American Library Association, the series will feature "six carefully curated viewing and discussion programs accompanied by a selection of compelling documentary films, essays written by eminent scholars, and an extensive resource guide for additional reading, Web sites, videos and DVDs...Themes for the six programs in the series are: New Orleans: The Birthplace of Jazz; The Jazz Age and the 1920s; The Women of Jazz; The Jazz Swing Era; Jazz Innovators: From Bebop, to Hard Bop, to Cool and More; Latin Jazz." The series is presented by the not-for-profit organization National Video Resources in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and with support from The National Endowment for the Humanities.

This seems like it could be a great opportunity for students, jazz newbies, and anyone else who's interested to learn more about the aesthetics, history and worldwide cultural influence of jazz. And I especially like the fact that, since the programs will be held at the public library, they will, in theory at least, be accessible to the entire community, regardless of age or economic status. Training for personnel from the institutions involved in the pilot program will take place this September in Chicago, and as soon as the SLPL announces the dates for the actual film screenings and discussions, we'll have the info for you here.