Delaware Libraries are devastated to hear of Dolly Parton's passing.
Dolly was a country legend, movie star, style icon, ambassador of humanity, but we'll also remember her as a literacy legend.
Inspired by her father's personal literacy struggles, Dolly led an initiative to inspire a love of reading in every child.
Today, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is the world’s preeminent early childhood book-gifting program. In partnership with local affiliate partners, the program mails high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5 – at no cost to families.
Her generosity has benefitted more than 50,000 Delaware children and families, encouraging the reading and library habit. That number grows every day.
Delaware Libraries were honored to be a part of the Imagination Library state pilot program. It was an unbelievable honor to host Dolly at the historic Wilmington Public Library to celebrate the milestone of taking the program statewide.
If you want to know her impact – just ask the new parents who leave a Delaware hospital registered for the program, and with their first Imagination Library book, which is also Dolly's favorite: "The Little Engine That Could." Listen to the children who thank Ms. Dolly after they read one of their Imagination Library books and saw her photo on the back cover. Watch how quickly children run to their mailboxes to grab their new stories, smiling at their names written in the address line. Hear about story times at home, libraries and schools where families foster connection and memories. And check in with the early education professionals who see stronger conversations, socialization and a love of reading in their students who are enrolled in the program.
Thank you, Dolly, for what you've done for Delaware and for all our children.
Anne Hiller Clark
Interim state librarian
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