By: Hanna Kosbab
Dolly Parton may be best known for titles like “9-5,” “Jolene,” and “I Will Always Love You.”[1] However, for many families, she is synonymous with The Little Engine That Could and Look Out, Kindergarten, Here I Come![2] These are two examples of the free books children enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (Imagination Library) receive every month from birth to age five.[3] Since its inception approximately 31 years ago, the Imagination Library has gifted more than 300 million books.[4] However, in some states, the program’s future is uncertain as state officials threaten to reduce funding for educational programming.[5] Amid this uncertainty, Oregon provided a path forward by creating legislation that guaranteed a dedicated funding source and shared funding between public and private entities to protect the Imagination Library’s future for children in the state.[6]
Through the Dollywood Foundation, the Imagination Library covers overhead and administrative expenses, coordinates book selection, and manages book orders and fulfillment.[7] Local organization partners then enroll children and cover book and mailing costs.[8] In some states, private organizations fully fund the program.[9] In others, especially rural states, local partners rely on state funding to help cover costs.[10]
Missouri enacted legislation for the Imagination Library in 2022.[11] However, the act used to implement the program relied on annual budget allocations subject to legislative cuts.[12] This meant state funding could vary year to year or be eliminated entirely. In 2026, state funding was reduced from $6 million to $2 million.[13] This volatility means new children cannot enroll in the program, and the future of currently enrolled children is uncertain.[14] Even if allocation increases next year, local partners cannot reliably plan for the program’s future without sustained funding. States such as Indiana and Maine have also reduced funding for the program, leading to decreased enrollments or discontinuing the program altogether.[15] Indiana’s first lady, Maureen Braun, temporarily kept the program alive through fundraising campaigns, but individual donations are unlikely to be sustainable long-term.[16] In Maine, the Imagination Library lost state-supported funding in June 2026.[17] United Way previously covered approximately half of the program’s cost, but according to director Sarah Duncan, the loss of state funding made the program unsustainable.[18] Individual donations and inconsistent state allocations alone are often insufficient to sustain access to the Imagination Library.
Oregon leaders took a different approach. On June 18, 2026, Governor Tina Kotek signed House Bill 4022, codifying Oregon’s Imagination Library Program and making it permanent for young Oregon readers.[19] Rather than appropriating specific amounts to the program through individual legislation, the new bill creates a dedicated, continuously appropriated account within the Department of Early Learning and Care Fund.[20] Critically, continuously appropriated funds do not require regular re-enactment by the legislature, unlike General Fund appropriations.[21] The bipartisan bill also provides that the state will cover no more than 50% of the total funds needed to buy and ship books to children in the program.[22] Requiring that local community partners cover the remaining 50% ensures stability without relying on a discretionary line item subject to yearly change.[23] This law ensures that the Imagination Library is permanent and available to children across Oregon, while giving local partners a reliable government funding source to share the burden.[24]
All across the world, people mourned the loss of the “Queen of Country” when news of her passing hit their timelines.[25] However, by codifying support for the Imagination Library, states can honor her memory through action. Oregon provided a road map for how other states can guarantee access to books for their youngest readers by creating official state programs and sustainable, dedicated funding plans. Jeff Conyers, President of the Dollywood Foundation, summed it up well, saying, “Dolly’s legacy was never meant to be something we simply preserve or look back upon[.] She built things that could keep doing good in the world.”[26]
[1] Discography, Dolly Parton, https://www.dollyparton.com/ [https://perma.cc/F83R-3AEL].
[2] Imagination Library Blue Ribbon Selections USA (Core Program), Dolly Parton’s Imagination Libr., https://imaginationlibrary.com/ [https://perma.cc/28UK-4JPQ].
[3] Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Libr., https://imaginationlibrary.com/ [https://perma.cc/56CZ-A6TG].
[4] Id.
[5] Ash Wu, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Changes Live. Some States Gut It Anyways.,N.Y. Times (Aug. 26, 2026), https://www.nytimes.com/ [https://perma.cc/4QTE-B4WA].
[6] Governor Kotek Signs Bill Guaranteeing Free Books for Oregon’s Youngest Learners, Governor’s Off.: Newsroom (June 18, 2026), https://apps.oregon.gov/ [https://perma.cc/SP4A-GMRD].
[7] Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, United States, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Libr., https://imaginationlibrary.com/ [https://perma.cc/LAB4-2CKA].
[8] Id.
[9] Wu, supra note 5.
[10] Id.
[11] Mo. Ann. Stat. § 178.694 (West 2022).
[12] Id.
[13] Sruthi Ramesh, DESE thanks Dolly Parton for Imagination Library program, months after state cuts its funding, KOMU (Aug. 27, 2026), https://www.komu.com/ [https://perma.cc/8T9J-EAC8].
[14] Id.
[15] Wu, supra note 5.
[16] Id.
[17] Megan Waceken, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library ending in Maine due to funding loss, WAGM (June 26, 2026, at 07:13 MST), https://www.wagmtv.com/ [https://perma.cc/9XEJ-T8K2].
[18] Id.
[19] Governor Kotek Signs Bill Guaranteeing Free Books for Oregon’s Youngest Learners, supra note 6.
[20] Id.
[21] Or. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 326.435 (West 2023).
[22] H.B. 4022, 83d Legis. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Or. 2026).
[23] Id.
[24] See id.
[25] Dolly Parton, queen of country music, dies at 80, CNBC (Aug. 26, 2026, at 06:53 EDT), https://www.cnbc.com/ [https://perma.cc/XEE3-4KTR].
[26] Emily St. Martin, Dolly Parton’s contributions to literacy will outlive the star, just like she planned, L.A. Times (Aug. 26, 2026, at 12:12 PT), https://www.latimes.com/ [https://perma.cc/BUC5-GYKK].
