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Pioneer Library System sees surge in Dolly Parton Imagination Library enrollment

Reading tips and a letter from Dolly Parton in a copy of 'The Little Engine That Could' by Watty Piper from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
Natalie Armour
/
OPMX
Reading tips and a letter from Dolly Parton in a copy of 'The Little Engine That Could' by Watty Piper from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library reported website delays due to increased traffic last week.

One central Oklahoma library system is seeing additional interest in the program following the country music star and philanthropist’s death.

The Pioneer Library System, which partners with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, says registrations for the pre-school reading program have increased substantially since last Tuesday.

Kelly Sitzman, Director of Communications at PLS, says more than 11,700 children are currently enrolled in the PLS chapter of the Imagination Library and projects enrollment will reach 12,000 by September.

Launched in Tennessee in 1995, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library provides free books to children under the age of five across the world. In Oklahoma, the program is available in 74 counties. As of 2020, the state funds 50% of the program’s operational costs.

Hannah France joined KGOU as a reporter in 2021, shortly after earning a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. In 2023, Hannah was the first place recipient of the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists' Radio Outstanding Reporter Portfolio award. Hannah reports on a variety of topics including criminal justice, housing, and labor rights and is dedicated to educating and empowering Oklahomans through community storytelling.
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