The Civic Media Center (CMC) is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

infoshop Infoshops are places in which people can access anarchist or autonomist ideas. They are often stand-alone projects, or can form part of a larger radical bookshop, archive, self-managed social centre or community centre. Typically, infoshops offer ...

, library and reading room in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

, United States. It was set up in 1993 and in 2009 received the book collection of activist

Stetson Kennedy William Stetson Kennedy (October 5, 1916 – August 27, 2011) was an American author, folklorist and human rights activist. One of the pioneer folklore collectors during the first half of the 20th century, he is remembered for having infiltrated t ...

History

The Civic Media Center (CMC) was set up as an

and library in 1993 in

. Founded as a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, the center was first located at 1021 West University Avenue, near to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

and housed a library cataloged by the

American Council of Learned Societies American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. It was financially supported by benefit campaigns and member donations. It held its eighth birthday party at the Thomas Center in 2001, with folk singer Doug Gauss. For its twenty fifth birthday it hosted a talk from

Amy Goodman Amy Goodman (born April 13, 1957) is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and author. Her investigative journalism career includes coverage of the East Timor independence movement, Morocco's occupation ...

. The CMC began an annual fundraising dinner program in 1999 called SpringBoard. Guests pay from $10 to $20 for a dinner cooked by volunteers and speakers have included

Diane Roberts Diane Roberts is an American author, columnist, essayist, radio commentator, reviewer and professor. She is the author of three books and a documentary-maker for the BBC. Career Roberts has been a commentator for NPR since 1993,

Nadine Smith Nadine Smith is an LGBT activist and has been the executive director of Equality Florida since its inception in 1997 and serves as a legislative lobbyist, living in Tallahassee during session. In 1986, Smith served on the founding board of th ...

and

Ann Wright Mary Ann Wright (born 1947) is a retired United States Army colonel and retired U.S. State Department official, known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War. She received the State Department Award for Heroism in 1997, after helping to eva ...

. The CMC moved location again in 2009, to 433 South Main Street in Gainesville. It then became the repository for

's personal library, which contained around 2,000 books and publications collected over his career as a folklore archivist and activist. It took several years to catalog the collection. As well as being a library, the CMC developed into a community resource as a meeting space, music venue and arts center. It hosts film screenings, talks and meetings. It also has a

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

collection.

References

External links

Civic Media Center
CMC website {{coord, 29.64797, -82.32464, region:US-FL, display=title Organizations based in Gainesville, Florida Libraries in Florida Infoshops Buildings and structures in Gainesville, Florida 1993 establishments in Florida

History

See also

References

External links