At the bottom of the winding stairs of the Eugene Public Library, First Lady of Oregon Amy Kotek-Wilson read "The Rabbit Listened." Young children and their parents gathered to hear the story read aloud.
Behind the First Lady, a cardboard cutout of Dolly Parton held a book with the Imagination Library logo on it.
Imagination Library is an international program launched by Parton in 1995 to combat illiteracy. Inspired by her father’s inability to read, she started the program in Tennessee, in the same county she grew up in.
Three decades later, the program has partners around the world.
Through the program, Parton and Imagination Library staff choose books to mail monthly to children from birth to age five, negotiating discounted mailing costs.
Oregon joined the program in 2007 with Linn County as its first partner. Now, there are 57 partners covering every zip code in the state.
Any child in the state of Oregon can be registered for the program and receive a free children’s book each month until they turn five.
Dana Fleming is the executive director of the Eugene Public Library Foundation, Imagination Library’s partner in Eugene.
She’s watched as the public library has mailed thousands of books to children in the area, building their literacy and personal libraries.
“It starts with 'The Little Engine That Could,' the very first book, and ends with 'Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come,'” she said. “So, if a child is enrolled from birth until their fifth birthday, they have a library of 60 books that come to their home for free.”
The books meet the children where they are at developmentally, and include stories that encourage emotional intelligence and communication. They also come with instructions for parents with pointers on engaging their children beyond the words on the page.
By getting kids reading at an early age, the program works to push them up to the benchmark reading level and avoid future reading struggles once they enter the classroom.
“Youth literacy is incredibly important to the future success of a human,” Fleming said. “Giving kids and families a leg up as early as possible is incredibly important to getting all the kids in our community ready to read by third grade, because when you're learning to read by third grade, you then can read to learn.”
If you give a mouse state funding
State funding to establish Imagination Library in Oregon was introduced in 2023 Senate Bill 5506. The bill allocated $1.7 million to the program through the Department of Early Learning and Care, and put a 50% match in place to cover half of the program’s costs of donating books.
The rest is covered by the Dollywood Foundation, community organizations and local donors.
When the funding expired in June, Fleming said state support “was very much at risk.” But Governor Tina Kotek’s prioritization of early literacy backed the program.
For the 2025-2027 biennium, state funding was increased to $2 million to account for the program’s growth, while the 50% match was kept in place.
Laurie McNichols is the state director for Imagination Library in Oregon. She said the continued funding from the state allows for the program to seamlessly move into the next few years.
“A lot of people worked very hard to ensure that there would be no interruptions for any children enrolled in Oregon,” McNichols said. “We want those kids to be able to reliably go to their mailbox with their grown ups and find the books that they are expecting each month.”
In Eugene, the public library foundation also receives funding from Northwest Community Credit Union.
Fleming says that partnership and community support has lifted a weight off Eugene Public Library Foundation organizers.
“It really let us pull back a little bit and think more about outreach than fundraising,” she said, “so we could catch our breath a little bit on the funding and start thinking about, how do we bring in more families and more kids?”
Oh, the counties you’ll go!
The majority of Imagination Library partners in Oregon reside in rural areas, where literacy rates tend to be lower in comparison to urban zip codes. United Way of Lane County is the program partner that focuses on more rural areas in the county.
This coverage “is truly a game changer,” McNichols said. “It also levels the playing field because it gives every family the opportunity to share beautiful books with their children. Some families may not have the financial resources to purchase a collection of books for their children.”
Some rural neighborhoods may lack local bookstores or libraries with access to children’s books. Parents may not know what books to get for their young children, or may not know where to start.
“If you're far from the library, if you don't have transportation, it may not be available to you. And then the opportunity is lost,” McNichols said.
Fleming said the program’s structure of free registration and easy mailing makes access to children’s books simple for families in rural neighborhoods.
“Kids who have very rural addresses, they all have mailboxes; they might not have a nearby library,” said Fleming. “Being able to bring literacy to the kids is super important.”
The program also offers books in braille and audio format for children and families who are blind or have low vision.
And, most recently, Oregon began its bilingual program, offering books in English and Spanish for multilingual families.
In Eugene, the enrollment goal every month is 4,000 children. That number makes up about 60% of kids between age zero and five in the Eugene Public Library’s coverage area.
McNichols said reaching 60% of children in an area can be crucial for improving collective literacy.
“It begins to make a more systemic impact where so many children are having this shared experience of books and reading and the stories that they're learning that it becomes a norm,” McNichols said. “It improves not just individual outcomes, but lifts everyone.”
This month, Eugene has 3,848 registered children. Fleming said that number, and community support, has proven that the city is prioritizing early learning.
Cloudy with a chance of Dolly
Despite continued funding, local support and enrollment, Imagination Library still has not been instated as an official state program.
Official status for the program was proposed in 2025 House Bill 2811 and initially approved. But the state’s May Revenue Forecast came out with lower-than-expected funds, causing many bills, including HB 2811, to be stalled.
With official status, the program would have a steady funding stream. Without it, the program is in funding limbo every two years.
“With any fundraising into our effort, it's always, today's great; how about tomorrow?” Fleming said.
Imagination Library organizers are pushing for the passage of the bill in next year’s short legislative session. Fleming said they will frame the funding as an investment.
“It's just so important for us to invest in our kids, and I would just really ask them to look at the huge return,” said Fleming. “It feels like that is an easy win and a cheap win for the state. Cheap isn't in terms of the cost, but there's so much value in the investment.”
And, every year, Dolly Parton chooses two states where Imagination Library has become an official program to visit and do a show.
Fleming said, if Oregon became one of those states, Eugene might just be the lucky city visited by the star.
“We really, really don't want to miss our chance to have her come and visit us, especially considering that she wrote a song about Eugene,” she said. “I mean, who wouldn't want aunt Dolly to show up with her guitar, not just the books in the mailboxes?”
