The UK library community was saddened to hear of the death of Dolly Parton. As well as being an internationally renowned singer, songwriter, actor, and businesswoman, Dolly Parton was a generous philanthropist. She worked tirelessly to promote children’s literacy and recognised the critical importance of public and school libraries.
“I don’t remember learning to read, it was just something I always did. I was hungry for knowledge, I guess, and information; I was a curious kid. I still am.”
Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly Parton launched her Imagination Library in 1995. To date, the Library has distributed over 300 million books to children under the age of five. She extended the Library to the UK in 2007, forming partnerships with a number of local authorities to send over 7 million books to children here.
Dolly Parton understood the vital importance of instilling a love of reading at an early age. She knew that creating a habit of reading could be transformative – unlocking opportunities and firing the imagination. She also understood that the Imagination Library was just the beginning and that strong public and school libraries were key to taking readers on their reading journey as they grew older. It was in recognition of all that she had done for literacy and libraries that Dolly Parton was made a CILIP Honorary Fellow in 2024.
“I didn’t have books at home so I did all my reading at school. I love books and I believe that helping kids to read gives them a great start in life.”
In the UK, 2026 is the National Year of Reading. This year-long celebration of the joys of reading shares many of the same goals and values as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The National Year of Reading acknowledges that ‘Reading expands minds, builds confidence and fuels creativity.’
Both the Imagination Library and the National Year of Reading appreciate that developing a love of reading from an early age can bring a lifetime of benefits. Members of the Libraries Alliance have come together under the ‘Libraries through Life’ banner as we support readers at all of life’s stages, as their needs change over time.
But we all know that strong foundations can be laid at those early stages of childhood. We thank Dolly Parton for her deep understanding of the importance of reading, her championing of libraries, and for all of her work in promoting literacy in young children. Our thoughts go out to all of her family and friends.
“Everywhere I go, the kids call me ‘the book lady.’ The older I get, the more appreciative I seem to be of the ‘book lady’ title. It makes me feel more like a legitimate person, not just a singer or an entertainer. But it makes me feel like I’ve done something good with my life and with my success.”