Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) is a book gifting organization that sends more than 2 million free books to children around the world each month. The free books are provided by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Foundation, and local program partners cover the cost of postage.
Children are eligible to receive one book each month from birth until age 5, mailed directly to their home at no cost to their family. There are no income restrictions, but families must reside in an area where the program is available through a local DPIL affiliate.
Local DPIL affiliates include the Rotary Club of Charlottesville, Friends of the Greene County Library, Louisa County Rotary Foundation, and Grow Nelson Library/United Way of Charlottesville. With the generous support of these organizations, 3,420 children in the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties participate in DPIL.
“JMRL is thrilled this incredible program is available to families in the library’s service area,” says Library Director David Plunkett. “DPIL goes hand in hand with JMRL’s early literacy programs such as storytime and the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge, and other school readiness programs such as preschool STEM activities and digital learning resources.”
To register your child for DPIL, visit www.imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability. Follow the instructions to find your local affiliate’s signup page or donation page. To register in Nelson County, please download and print the online form, and mail to or drop off at Nelson Memorial Library.
In addition to registering for DPIL, you can help your child develop early literacy skills and a love of reading by taking advantage of the many free services and materials available at your local JMRL branch and on JMRL’s website. Sign up to practice reading skills with a trained therapy dog at JMRL’s Paws to Read programs or attend a storytime for an opportunity to read, sing, and play with your little one. Begin the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge by signing up on Beanstack, and counting the books you read with your child. Looking for new books to engage your young reader? Submit a “What Do I Read Next?” request to receive a personalized book recommendation list from a JMRL librarian.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Program Partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More®. The program has been widely researched and results demonstrate the positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.