After 46,844 books in Summit County, Dolly Parton program looks statewide

Dolly Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to mail free books to young children. Parton died Tuesday at age 80, leaving a literacy legacy that includes 46,844 books delivered to children in Summit County. Photo: Wes McFee

The country music icon died Tuesday at 80, leaving behind a book program that has delivered 46,844 books to Summit County children.

PARK CITY, Utah — Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose Imagination Library has delivered more than 46,000 free books to Summit County children, died Tuesday at age 80.

Parton died in Nashville, Tennessee, her family announced Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. Her death came as a Utah nonprofit was working to expand one of her most enduring philanthropic efforts across the state.

KSL.com reported that Operation Literacy has reached an agreement to become the Imagination Library’s official Utah partner, pending approval and funding from state lawmakers.

The Utah nonprofit has launched a pilot program intended to demonstrate demand and measure the program’s impact while it seeks permanent state funding, according to KSL. The organizations are calling the statewide initiative Raising Utah Readers.

“It’s an honor to be involved with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” Aaron Hall, Operation Literacy’s public relations manager, told KSL. “Dolly and her team have made colossal efforts to build a bright future through reading, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to work with them in Utah going forward.”

Operation Literacy’s website confirms that a pilot is underway in selected Utah ZIP codes and that the organization is campaigning for statewide funding. It has also launched a petition asking Utah lawmakers to support the expansion.

Under the proposal, registered Utah children would receive one free, age-appropriate book in the mail every month from birth until age 5, regardless of household income. Operation Literacy has not publicly identified how much state funding it plans to request, which lawmaker might sponsor a proposal, or when the issue could come before the Utah Legislature.

The program is not new to Summit County.

The Park City Community Foundation’s Early Childhood Alliance already funds and administers the Imagination Library locally. The alliance has helped deliver 46,844 books to Summit County children, according to an Aug. 5 update from the foundation.

Any child younger than 5 who lives in Summit County is eligible, regardless of family income. Each enrolled child receives a book addressed directly to them each month at no cost to the family.

The Early Childhood Alliance pays approximately $2.60 per book, including shipping. The alliance shares funding with the Imagination Library, while it raises the local money needed to keep the program operating.

The alliance also works with community partners to promote the program, help families enroll, and support policies intended to expand access to early-learning resources.

The Utah STEM Action Center currently supports the program in Garfield, Iron, Piute, Sevier, Washington and Wayne counties.

The Park City Community Foundation has advocated for statewide coverage since at least 2021. At that time, the foundation said Utah had four local Imagination Library affiliates, with Summit County’s Early Childhood Alliance operating the largest.

The foundation renewed that call this month, arguing that statewide funding would make the program available to children regardless of where they live.

“A statewide investment would change that, guaranteeing that every registered Utah child from birth to age five, in every county, could receive a free book each month, no matter their ZIP code or their family’s income,” the foundation wrote.

Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up. The program later expanded across the United States and into Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.

It now mails more than 3 million books each month and has distributed more than 300 million books since its founding, according to the Imagination Library.

Summit County families may also choose a bilingual English-Spanish collection. The Imagination Library began offering the option nationwide Aug. 4 after first introducing it in California in 2023. New participants may choose either the English or bilingual collection when enrolling. Families already participating can change their selection through the program’s parent portal.

Eligible Summit County families can register online through the Imagination Library. The first book generally arrives six to eight weeks after registration, and each eligible child in a household may enroll separately.