The world is heartbroken at the passing of legendary country music superstar, cultural icon, and literacy champion Dolly Parton, who died August 25 at her Nashville home at age 80.
Parton’s award-winning Imagination Library initiative, inspired by her father’s inability to read or write, has put hundreds of millions of books into the hands of children and was considered by her to be one of her greatest achievements. The book-gifting program, part of the nonprofit Dollywood Foundation, mails free, high-quality books to children across the country and around the world once a month from birth to age 5.
“We’re giving books to kids who wouldn’t have a chance to get them otherwise,” Parton told American Libraries in a 2018 interview. “A lot of people think this is just for poor children—it’s for all children. It’s important to get books into the hands of any child that we can.”
In 2023, the American Library Association (ALA) conferred Parton with an honorary lifetime membership, ALA’s highest honor, for her lasting impact on librarianship, libraries, and the communities they serve. And in 2011, the president of the American Association of School Libraries also awarded Parton and the Imagination Library with the Crystal Apple, which is awarded to an individual or group who has had significant impact on school libraries and students.
Parton was also part of ALA’s famed Celebrity READ poster campaign, in which she holds a copy of “The Little Engine That Could.”
“I’ve always related to that book because I’m the little engine that did!” she said.
Book lovers, libraries, and librarians across the country expressed sadness at Parton’s passing, with many sharing remembrances on social media and with news outlets.
Kristy High manages Parton’s Imagination Library in Cincinnati, Ohio. High works for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, which partners with Imagination Library to bring the program to kids throughout Hamilton County.
“[T]hough I didn’t work directly with the icon day-to-day, I’ve had a front-row seat to witness the impact of her philanthropy in Cincinnati,” High told CNBC.
“I’ve seen the excitement on a child’s face when they receive a book with their name on it,” she continued. “I’ve heard parents talk about how the monthly book gives their kids something to look forward to. I’ve watched community partners, libraries, healthcare organizations and volunteers come together around a simple but powerful mission… And I’ve realized that Parton’s greatest lesson was believing that one person can make a difference.”
Youth services librarian Nicole Young at Anne West Lindsay District Library in Carterville, Illinois, told KFVS 12 News that the program helps children learn and love to read.
“I’ve heard so many parents talking about how amazing the books are and how much they love the program and it’s helping them build their home libraries,” Young said. “So it’s been a really positive thing for the southern Illinois area.”
Young said the program’s success reflects the generosity of the woman who created it.
“You don’t see people like that giving so much of what they have to others, especially those who maybe don’t have the resources that she had,” she said.
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