Dolly Parton comes to Thorhild (kind of)

By Brandie Majeau
The Thorhild Library is thrilled to announce its participation in the Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library, a fantastic program dedicated to promoting early literacy. The move
to bring this program to Thorhild took shape approximately 10 months ago, sparked by
a patron’s mention of the program’s availability in Gibbons. From that initial suggestion,
the library embarked on a comprehensive journey involving emails, referrals, Zoom
meetings, and phone calls, ultimately leading to a successful connection with the
regional director of the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
In order to launch this program, the Thorhild County Library Board diligently
worked on securing the necessary funding, and they are proud to share that the program is
now fully operational.
So, what exactly is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library? It is designed to support
children from birth to age five by providing them with free, high-quality books. Any child
residing in Thorhild County who is under the age of five can register for this program at
any of our three local libraries: Thorhild, Newbrook, or Radway. Once enrolled, children
will receive a book each month, right up until their fifth birthday. Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library supports a love of reading in young children and ensure they have
access to valuable educational resources at an early age. Dolly Parton’s Imagination
Library website states, “I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He
was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read
probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams. Inspiring kids to love to read became
my mission. In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home
county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to
well over 3 million children.”
The first year of the program has been approved by the Thorhild Library Board
with Council allocating funds to cover its initial launch. Members of the community
interested in sustaining this literacy campaign can add further support with online
donations to the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.