As we remember Dolly Parton and her extraordinary impact on the world, we want to focus on an important part of her legacy: her Imagination Library. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends free books to children every month from birth to age five, to help them achieve their dreams through a love of reading. The Imagination Library has put over 200 million books in the hands of children, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Humble Beginnings
Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 in honor of her father, Robert Lee Parton Sr.,who didn’t have the chance to go to school to learn to read. She began the program to help children in East Tennessee have the opportunity that her father never had:
“Well, we never thought it would be this big. We didn’t really think that far beyond it. I just wanted to do something great for my dad and for my home county and, at the most, maybe a couple of counties over.”
After only five years, the Imagination Library had become such a success that counties all across the United States began asking to take part. Coverage now extends across our nation, with 21 states offering the program to every child, and with participating counties in all 50 states. The Imagination Library also delivers books to children in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia.
Dolly’s father lived long enough to see the program take flight:
“He got to hear the kids call me The Book Lady. He got a big kick out of that. But he took great pride and felt like that he had helped do something special.”
Local Impact
In early 2025, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library came to DeKalb County. Since then, over 25,000 free books have been sent to over 2,300 children, and more books arrive each month.
Heirlooms: Your Family History is American History
All of us here in DeKalb County feel grateful to be a part of Dolly Parton’s legacy. Every month, children receive brand-new, age-appropriate books delivered straight to their doorstep at zero cost to their families thanks to the Imagination Library.
As Local Program Partners, the DeKalb Public Library and the Friends of DeKalb Public Library secure funds for the local costs of bringing the Imagination Library to our community. We believe every child deserves the gift of reading, but we can’t do it without you!
How Can I Help?
If you would like to help us realize Dolly’s dream, please consider a gift to the Imagination Library. A gift of only $75.00 will sponsor one child’s reading journey for all five years of the program, but any amount is greatly appreciated.
Together, we can help every child develop a lifelong love of reading, and, as Dolly put it:
“I think that if you can read, it gives you wings to fly anywhere you want to go.”
Read more about the history of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and listen or read to this retrospective including interview clips from across the years.
Please contact us at (815) 756-9568 ext 3350 or email [email protected] with any questions.