Flathead County Library Celebrates ‘Give Like Dolly Day’

Since Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library expanded to Montana in June 2023, the program has mailed more than 87,000 books to kids in Flathead County. The international literacy organization partners with local communities to send books every month to enrolled children from birth to 5 years old.

When Parton died at the end of August, local enrollment spiked. The Flathead County Library, which oversees the county’s program, normally sees somewhere around 25 new enrollees a month, Children’s Librarian Rebecca Johnson said. From August to September, it received 192.

“The day of Dolly’s passing, the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library website crashed,” Johnson said, noting the nationwide interest in enrolling children in the program. Johnson’s inbox filled with people curious about registering or wanting to ensure their accounts were up to date.

Parton launched the program in 1995 to boost early childhood literacy, and it has since expanded to five countries and more than 3 million registered children.

The Dollywood Foundation covers costs associated with administering the program, including selecting books and negotiating with publishers, while local partners cover the book and mailing costs. Montana’s program has received state backing since 2023, and this year First Lady Susan Gianforte established the Imagination Library of Montana as an independent nonprofit, solidifying continued funding.

There are 58 local program partners across Montana’s 56 counties, including libraries, United Way, and community organizations. The program reaches about one in two eligible children in the state, and nearly 19,000 5-year-olds have graduated from it statewide.

Flathead County’s program, which is open to children regardless of family income, currently has 3,147 children enrolled and 1,603 graduates.

Grandparents will sometimes enroll grandkids into the program as gifts, Johnson said, and because of Parton’s fame, the program has drawn steady interest since its creation.

Early childhood literacy studies show that being exposed to books and reading at an early age gives kids a boost in literacy. Johnson described it as forming a foundation that formal learning later on can build upon.

“They’re already better off into building their literacy skills just because it’s around and they’re exposed to it,” Johnson said.

Print awareness and print motivation are two building blocks for that foundation, Johnson said. Print motivation is knowing books with enjoyment. Print awareness refers to the awareness that words all around, such as street signs, carry meaning.

“You can see it in young children because before they can even read they will play reading,” Johnson said. “I know my daughter, I have a picture of her reading a book like she saw her dad. He had like a bookmark in his mouth, and then she would copy that.”

While the Imagination Library program mails books to children, Johnson hopes it also encourages their families to seek out more books at the library as well.

The library is marking Sept. 25 as “Give Like Dolly Day,” a national fundraising day established by the Dollywood Foundation. It’s hosting a story time featuring a children’s book written by Parton and a radiothon with local radio stations.

“I hope that that joy of getting books at home spurs caregivers and parents into seeking more ways to have more books in their home, and come to the library,” Johnson said.

Those interested in enrolling or donating to the program can visit the Imagination Library of Montana’s website or email Johnson at [email protected].

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