Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Arrives in Ogden
NEWS
Dolly Parton reads to children in the Library of Congress Great Hall in 2018. Shawn Miller., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Children in Ogden can now open their mailboxes to find a new book every month. Since July, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has been available to children in Ogden through Weber State University’s Family Literacy Program, initiated by program director Paul Schvaneveldt. All families in the program and residents in the 84401 ZIP code have access to the Imagination Library.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age 5. Inspired by her father’s illiteracy, Parton launched the program in 1995, at first distributing books to children in her home county in East Tennessee, and the program quickly spread nationally. Today, it sends over 3 million free books every month to children around the world.
Parton is quoted on the website:
“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
Since Dolly's passing was announced by her nephew on Tuesday, several people have donated to the local Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program sponsored by WSU.
“We started it to further the mission of the WSU Family Literacy Program and provide resources to families in our community with books to read with their young children,” Schvaneveldt said. As of Tuesday, they currently had over 170 children receiving books each month.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program at WSU is funded entirely by private donors. It is supported by the Glasmann Family Literacy endowment at Weber State University and the OC Tanner Corporation gift to the Tanner Families Alive program.
WSU’s Family Literacy Program provides low-income families in Weber and Davis counties with free parenting support to enhance learning and engagement with their children. Services provided, in both English and Spanish, include free books, games, activities and connections to community resources and support with school preparation. The program serves Weber and Davis county residents with children ages 2-6. Registration is available here.
Residents of Ogden in the 84401 ZIP code or participants in WSU’s Family Literacy Program can register for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library here.
To register your child for Dolly’s Imagination Library outside of WSU’s Family Literacy Program, find a local organization sponsoring the program near you at imaginationlibrary.com. If one is unavailable, anyone can bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to their community.
Donations to the program are welcome at WSU’s Family Literacy Program.