Libraries, Community Foundation, and Partners Unite to Bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Hamilton County

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has come to Hamilton County, and already more than 5,000 children under age 5 are receiving books from the program thanks to a countywide effort that included Carmel Clay Public Library, Hamilton East Public Library, Hamilton North Public Library, Hamilton County Community Foundation (HCCF), Sheridan Public Library, Westfield Washington Public Library and other community partners.

“Hamilton County Community Foundation thrives on this kind of collaborative work – it’s one of the best ways we can support all the cities and towns across the county,” HCCF President Danielle Stiles-Polk said. The Imagination Library program in Hamilton County began to take shape in December 2023, when Kim Riley, director of the Sheridan Library, reached out to Katie Mullins, Community Engagement Coordinator for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Indiana.

Mullins then invited all the libraries within Hamilton County, as well as HCCF, to come together to talk about the program. In addition to stewarding funds for the program, HCCF provided connections to other organizations throughout the county.

“When Katie asked us to get involved, it was an immediate yes,” Stiles-Polk said. “Everything we were hearing about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was positive and impactful. And since we were one of the last full counties in the state that wasn’t doing a Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, it made perfect sense to shepherd conversations about this important program.”

Together with Mullins, the libraries and HCCF discussed what it would mean to be a program partner, the responsibility of enrolling children, promoting the program and securing both initial and long-term funding.

“There was immediately a collaborative spirit,” Mullins said.

The Hamilton County Council approved $213,606 to help launch the program. The Carmel Clay Public Library applied for and received a $50,000 grant through the CenterPoint Energy Foundation.

And on July 1, the program went live.

“We are very thankful for the Foundation’s involvement,” Mullins said. “We worked really hard trying to find the right partner for Hamilton County. We knew it had to be somebody special. We knew it had to be somebody that was really willing to take on this big ask. We wanted somebody that would be passionate about the program, and we found them.”

Now, more than 21,000 children in Hamilton County under age 5 are eligible to receive books – and more than 5,200 already have been signed up for the program, making Hamilton County’s program the fastest-growing in the country. Families can learn more and register their children for the program at imaginationlibrary.com.

Mullins said there are more than 2,500 Imagination Library programs in the country, and the typical program achieves 40 percent participation within 18 to 24 months.

“The fact that Hamilton County is a few months in and you’re already at 25 percent is just outstanding,” she said.

Each month until age 5, children in the program receive an age-appropriate book. The first book they get is “The Little Engine That Could,” which is Dolly Parton’s favorite children’s book. The last book they get is “Look Out, Kindergarten, Here I Come.”

“Our mission is to inspire a love of reading,” she said. “And along the way, bonds are formed with parents and adults, and literacy develops.”

Stiles-Polk said she’s already seeing the benefits of the program. Not long ago, she received a text from a friend that included a picture of the book she and her daughter received through the program. “She’s a non-native English speaker and helping her daughter learn how to read can be really challenging,” Stiles-Polk said. “She talked about how she was so grateful to have age level appropriate books to read every month with her daughter who was so excited to sit down for their first month. I know there’s a lot of volunteer time and work happening to make sure every child who signs up is receiving their books, but these stories make it so worthwhile.”

Stiles-Polk also said the way the Imagination Library program came together in Hamilton County could be a good model for other countywide programs and partnerships. “I’ve consistently heard that people are so grateful the libraries, community partners and our organization brought this to the community. In many ways, I think that’s the role HCCF can play, we can be the glue that brings everyone together,” she said. “And when we do, we open the door for even more opportunities to take shape, to turn shared visions into reality.”