Imagination Library

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The program launched in 1995 specifically for Sevier County, Tennessee. In 2000, due to its popularity, Parton announced the program would be available to any community willing to partner with her and support it locally. It has since expanded to over 2,000 local communities across the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The Dollywood Foundation manages the distribution of books in these participating communities and maintains the database for children's information. In 2018, Parton celebrated the delivery of the 100 millionth book at an event hosted by the Library of Congress, where she held a Story Time with attending children.

In Their Own Story

In February 2018, the milestone of 100 million books delivered was marked with a special ceremony. Parton joined children for a Story Time event at the Library of Congress to commemorate the achievement. The program's reach continued to grow; by 2026, it had delivered books to over 120 million children worldwide and was sending roughly 3 million books to children every month. That same year, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce included the Imagination Library as a beneficiary of their $26 million in charity wedding donations, giving $2 million. Parton posted on Instagram to thank them for making 'giving back a key part of your lives.' As of 2021, at least 1.7 million children in the U.S. were enrolled, with a net monthly increase of 20,000 to 30,000.

Reader's Guide

Private or public non-profit organizations can implement the program in their communities by partnering with Parton and providing local support. The Dollywood Foundation handles the logistics of book distribution and manages the database tracking children's information. Books are mailed monthly based on a child's age, broken down into groups that provide recommendations depending on when the child was born. When the Imagination Library reached its 100-millionth book mark, Parton announced she would award a scholarship to a participant. In November 2016, she granted a $30,000 scholarship to a two-year-old girl during her Pure & Simple Tour stop in Pigeon Forge. The funds were placed in an account to be released when the child enrolls in college, eventually amounting to nearly $50,000 after a 16-year wait.

Did You Know?

• The program was started as a tribute to Dolly Parton's father, whose inability to read kept him from fulfilling his dreams.
• In November 2017, Dolly Parton celebrated the delivery of the 100 millionth book at an event hosted by the Library of Congress.
• As of 2021, the program saw a net monthly increase of thousands of enrolled children in the U.S.