A bill introduced by state Sen. Jeremy Cooney aims to make Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library an official statewide program, complete with its own state fund.
The bill would create “Dolly Parton’s statewide library system of New York” as well as an “Imagination Library of New York” fund. The program would be managed by New York’s state librarian and would split costs between the state and the Dollywood Foundation, which oversees the Imagination Library program. Children enrolled in the program would receive a free, new book in the mail every month up until the age of 5.
The country singer and philanthropist launched the Imagination Library project in 1995. Back then it was focused on increasing access to books in her native Sevier County, Tennessee. Since then, the library has handed out nearly 258 million books to children in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.
Matthew Present, a pediatrician who volunteered to launch the Rochester chapter of the Imagination Library in 2021, estimated the program has now provided books to one in three children in the city. It’s on track to send out its 100,000th book this summer.
“We've gotten nothing but really positive feedback,” Present said. “And now we're starting to enroll lots of siblings of children who've previously been enrolled. It's turned into kind of a self-perpetuating phenomenon.”
The Rochester chapter was launched to serve the 14605 ZIP code, which is one of the poorest in New York. Covering a large swath of northeast Rochester, 14605 is an area where 55% of families with children under the age of 18 are living below the poverty line, according to the American Community Survey. Comparably, that figure statewide is 15%.
The library has since spread to the rest of the city, and Present hopes to be able to move it further into the suburbs.
Present said a state partnership could ensure the library’s stability, from singular chapters started by volunteers nationwide to a cohesive statewide network.
“Whether red or blue, it’s just tough to think of too many initiatives that cross the aisle these days,” Present said. “The great thing about the program is the longer it lasts, the more people get to experience its wonders, and the more supporters we develop over time.”
The New York bill passed through the state Senate’s Library Committee last week by a 7-0 vote and is now in the Senate’s Finance Committee. The bill’s justification cites a quote from Parton.
“In the words of Dolly Parton herself: "Our place in all of this is pretty simple. We want to inspire a love of books. Kids will do what they love to do, and we want to inspire children to love books and reading!” the proposal reads. “I want the child to feel the magic of a book arriving and the excitement of opening it up. This love of books will last a lifetime.”
The plan to adopt Imagination Libraries statewide is also included in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
“Giving young children and parents access to books can boost literacy outcomes and instill a love of reading that changes lives,” the budget proposal states. “Unfortunately, evidence suggests that many homes lack access to age-appropriate books and reading materials, and children from low-income family backgrounds may be exposed to only 25 hours of one-to-one picture book reading compared to 1,000+ hours for children from middle-class homes.”
New York would not be the first state to adopt Imagination Libraries statewide. A total of 20 states have adopted fund matching or similar programs or are in the process of implementing them.
Last month, Indiana became the first state to cut its funding for the Imagination Library program in its proposed budget.
