We want your stories! This January, we will celebrate 20 years of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Knox County. It’s hard to believe that the first children who were registered to receive free books every month from Dolly Parton are now able to drive, vote or even have kids of their own!
We launched the Imagination Library program in Knox County on January 15, 2005, with the help of Gov. Phil Bredesen, Mayors Bill Haslam and Mike Ragsdale, and dozens of kids from Head Start. It was a fun day at the East Tennessee History Center and soon thereafter, more than 1,500 children were enrolled in the Book Lady’s favorite program. By the end of the year, 8,000 children were running out to their mailboxes (with parents in tow, I hope) to get their books from Dolly.
Since then, we’ve mailed out more than 4.1 million books to 100,000 children. We’ve sponsored Strollerthons, Great Cake Bakes, Train Rides and author visits. Kids entered kindergarten ready to learn. The final book, mailed on a child’s 5th birthday, is “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!” and off to school they went knowing letters, colors, shapes and vocabulary!
Because of Imagination Library, millions of bedtimes were spent with a storybook in hand. The Lama Lamas and Knuffle Bunnies, Little Engines and Corduroys have become well known to thousands of little ones across the land.
Now we want to tell your stories. Send us your memories of Imagination Library. As parents, tell us what the program meant to you. If you were a child who received the books, how’d they make you feel? What are your memories? Send us photos, films or stories!
Just fill out this form: Share Your Story.
Mary Pom Claiborne is assistant director for marketing, communications and development for Knox County Public Library.
