On July 1, 2012, the “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series opened its recording and book collection to the public. A year later the collection was dubbed the Von Freeman Memorial Lending Library in honor of the legendary, iconic Chicago tenor saxophonist [b. 10/3/23–d. 8/11/12] and NEA Jazz Master. In March 2018, Freeman’s son, saxophonist Chico Freeman, formally dedicated the collection, which is intended to be a community resource, open to all.
The library’s titles run from jazz’s turn-of-the-20th-century earlier beginnings right up to the present. No matter what style(s) of jazz piques your interest, visitors will find fitting titles within 9,000 titles in the Von Freeman Memorial Lending Library.
The Library, housed at the Jazz Series offices, 21 N. Tenth St., is open Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. The public can listen to selections and/or peruse jazz-related literature on site.