Dolly Parton's Imagination Library legacy lives on locally

Thousands of Washington County children continue receiving free books through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a legacy honored by a new library display in Johnson City. The Johnson City Public Library is a local affiliate for the Washington County Imagination Library. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a global book gifting program that mails a free book every month to children from birth until they turn five years old. JCPL Director Julia Turpin said Parton's impact extends beyond Sevierville and into communities across East Tennessee and beyond. "It's a great loss, not only for the state of Tennessee and the United States, but really the world," Turpin said. "She was so much more than a musician and an actress; she was an incredible philanthropist, and she made an impact through her work with early literacy that will impact generations to come." The library is honoring Dolly Parton with a book display celebrating her lifelong commitment to childhood literacy. "We set up a display on our first floor in her honor featuring not only our cutout of Dolly, but also a selection of items inspired by her," Turpin said. "Books about Dolly Parton, music and Tennessee are included in that display so that folks who might be interested in learning a little more about her and her great life can pick something up." Turpin said Parton's death will not affect the Washington County Imagination Library program. "As long as the Imagination Library Foundation exists, so too will that program in Washington County," Turpin said. "Our local Imagination Library program here in Washington County is funded through the Governor's Early Literacy Foundation as well as the city of Johnson City and Washington County." Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995 for children in Sevier County. Her father's inability to read and write inspired her to create the program, which aims to create a love of reading among young children and their families. The Imagination Library came to Washington County in 2005. Since then, children in the county have received 1,115,868 books. During the 2025-26 program year alone, 61,880 books were sent to Washington County families, according to library officials. Approximately 81% of Washington County children younger than 5 receive a free book each month through the program. Turpin said community members have responded to Parton's death by donating to the Imagination Library. "In the last 24 hours, we've seen an influx in donations to the Imagination Library, which is something that folks can do through our website," she said. "They can make gifts of any size in Dolly's honor, and that will directly fund those books that we send to kiddos within Washington County." Every child from birth through age 5 who lives in Washington County is eligible for the Imagination Library. Children can be enrolled at any time and will receive a free book each month until their fifth birthday. "I think it's important that we just all take a moment to remember the great work that Dolly did in support of early literacy," Turpin said. "She understood the value of investing in children through literacy and setting them up for lifelong success. The gift of reading is a legacy any one of us would be honored to have and celebrate." Individuals interested in enrolling a child in the Washington County Imagination Library can call (423) 434-4362 or visit the Johnson City Public Library website.