If you’re a new face at the Nashville Public Library, children’s librarian Terri Thomas probably has some questions for you.
There’s one for caregivers who bring their children in for library story times: “Do you get Imagination Library books?”
And to new grandparents visiting the library: “Is the baby getting Imagination Library books? Here’s how you sign up.”
The program, launched and funded by country music legend Dolly Parton during her illustrious life, will continue long after the icon's death. Parton's team exclusively told The Tennessean that a few million dollars from several individuals flooded the nonprofit the day after her Aug. 25 death.
One of the grassroots donation efforts came from Swifties, as Taylor Swift and Parton famously adored
each other. Swifties shared encouragements on social media to donate $13 in reference to the "Opalite" singer's favorite number. These donations, in addition to instructions the country music legend left for her own estate and ventures, ensure that children will continue benefiting from the early childhood literacy program.
But though Nashville library card holders can check out up to 100 books at a time, Thomas said there’s something particularly special to kids about getting to hold on to a book they love permanently, rather than just borrowing it for a little while. That’s why she’s constantly extolling the virtues of Imagination Library program, which has been mailing kids younger than 5 free books once a month for more than three decades.
More than 330 million books have been gifted to kids across the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland since Parton launched the program in Sevier County in 1995.
“When Imagination Library books arrive at their home, with their name on it, and they get to keep them forever and ever, that is truly a special gift,” Thomas said.
It was fitting, then, that Nashville's main library branch downtown was the chosen location for Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s weekly media roundtable three days after Parton died at 80 following a brief battle with cancer. A cardboard standee of Parton, flanked by displays featuring Imagination Library books, are likely the first things you’ll see when you walk into the library's main entrance.
O’Connell’s kids participated in the program, too. He said, just like Dolly, each book’s arrival was “magical.”
In fact, O’Connell’s daughters got to meet Parton when the philanthropist and songwriter came to Nashville to celebrate an exhibition of fashions from throughout her career at Lipscomb University in late 2023. He recalled that she was “every bit of what many of us believed of her” — playful, engaging, inspiring and generous with her time and spirit.
“There are few people that have given Nashville something as lasting and impactful as Dolly Parton,” O’Connell said on Aug. 28. “She gave us the belief that a child’s dreams should never be limited by the circumstances under which they’re born.”
O’Connell has proclaimed September to be “Imagination Library Month” in Nashville, the latest in a string of tributes to the beloved singer.
“This is something we’ve been planning, and it’s one of the many ways I think this city and the people who have loved Dolly’s music, her success as a businesswoman, her incredible philanthropy and her joyful spirit will have ways to continue to uplift that legacy,” O’Connell said.
It’s clear that these memorials to Parton won’t be fading any time soon. As a petition to rename Nashville International Airport in Parton’s honor skyrockets past 150,000 signatures, O’Connell called the campaign a “wonderful idea,” provided her family and foundation are on board. Gov. Bill Lee agreed with a press statement the same day, declaring: "At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”
When asked about plans for a citywide memorial, O’Connell said the city’s “looking at ways to uplift her legacy,” like continuing to light the Historic Metro Courthouse in pink, as it has been over the past several nights. Parton's family have opted for a private funeral service and burial.
However, some public tributes to come will be particularly focused on the Imagination Library program. Thomas said library story times throughout the city will feature librarians’ favorite Imagination Library books in the coming weeks.
And, O’Connell added, collaborative work will continue to execute on the Nashville Public Library’s Begin Bright early literacy program, which launched in late 2024 with the help of a $4.5 million investment by the Dollywood Foundation, the most significant gift in the Nashville Public Library Foundation’s roughly three decade history.
Begin Bright will deliver a little library cart filled with Imagination Library books to every childcare center in Davidson County. Once that goal is achieved, O’Connell said Nashville will become the first city in the country to pull it off.
“Tennessee is lucky to call Dolly one of our own, but her greatest gift isn’t ‘9 to 5,’ ‘My Tennessee Mountain Home,’ or even her unique version of ‘Rocky Top,’” O’Connell said. “It’s the millions of little moments in living rooms across the world, when a child opened a book and discovered a different world. It’s her encouragement to all of us to love every human. That’s her enduring legacy, that’s what we’re going to build on in Nashville.”
Byran West contributed reporting to this article.
Austin Hornbostel is the Metro reporter for The Tennessean. Have a question about local government you want an answer to? Reach him with questions, tips and story ideas at ahornbostel@tennessean.com.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Millions pour into Imagination Library to keep Dolly's dream alive | Exclusive
