BY LANCE GAITHER

lance.gaither@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

On Wednesday, the Lincoln County Public Library launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program. The program provides one book per month to children under age 5.

To celebrate the launch of the program, the library hosted a kickoff event that included book readings, giveaways and a Dolly Parton impersonator.

“Early literacy is always super important in life,” said Logan Adams, Children’s & Teen Services librarian. “Dolly’s philanthropy is almost as famous as her music now. We want to help kids get books any way we can. We are advertising the Imagination Library everywhere here, We have definitely seen a really good response.”

The Lincoln County Imagination Library Committee estimates that 1,629 children in Lincoln County are eligible to join the program.

“We are very delighted to be able to offer Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to the children in Lincoln County,” said Amanda Gearhart, the library’s director. “This is a way to provide early education opportunists directly to the homes of these children.”

The first book every child who joins the program receives is “The Little Engine That Could” 6 to 8 weeks after joining.

The total cost of each book per child is $2.30. In 2022, the Kentucky legislature voted to fund half of the cost of the Imagination Library program to any county that wanted to join. With that funding, the estimated local cost of having every eligible child enrolled in the program is $21,503. Donations for the program can be mailed as a check to Heart of Kentucky United Way, with the checks being made out to HKUW – Fiscal Agent and the memo line filled as DPIL Lincoln County.

Information on enrolling your child in the Imagination Library can be found on the Lincoln County Public Library Facebook page.