What is Imagination Library?

Created by Dolly Parton in 1995, Imagination Library is a program that provides a free book each month for enrolled children ages 0-5 in participating communities at a cost of $27 per year per child.  Imagination Library currently operates in 288 communities in 36 states. The first international community begins operation later this year in Canada.

The Dollywood Foundation orders the books through a volume arrangement with a publisher and mails the books to each participant every month according to orders that are submitted by participating communities.  The 60-volume collection is selected by a committee that includes experts in education, child development, academia and early childhood literacy.  The age-appropriate books include picture books for newborns and progress as the child's reading skills develop.  The Little Engine That Could is the signature book of the collection; Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! completes the set.

A recent study conducted by High/Scope Educational Research Foundation documents that Imagination Library is:

In addition, Imagination Library gives children from very diverse backgrounds a common experience, which is particularly important in large urban communities like Shelby County.

Getting Imagination Library Started in Shelby County

In June 2004 Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen launched an initiative to provide Imagination Library statewide by providing a 50% match through his new Governor's Books from Birth Foundation for any Tennessee county enrolling in the program.  Tennessee is the first state to launch a statewide Imagination Library program.

Less than two years after the statewide initiative was launched, more than half of Tennessee counties are up and running with Imagination Library.  A few counties are using their general funds to support the program; the majority are aggressively raising private dollars.

With this state match the local cost is only $13.50 per child per year, all of which will be raised from private sources.
 
Shelby County is the only urban Tennessee county that has not yet launched Imagination Library.  Davidson County kicked-off its program in March, and now has more than 4,000 children enrolled in the program.

With the verbal commitments we have gotten so far, we believe we have sufficient private funding to get started, although fundraising will be an ongoing requirement.

To become eligible to draw the state matching dollars, Imagination Library must be created as a countywide program through enabling legislation in the form of a county resolution.  Every county in Tennessee must pass an identical resolution that was prepared by the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation.

Given our current budget situation, Shelby County does not have the financial means to put cash into the program, but we will provide administrative support to get it established.  Just to restate this point for emphasis, Shelby County is not committing any public monies for Imagination Library at this point.  The enabling resolution is a commitment to establish the program but not a commitment of funding.