SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Earlier this year, the state of Indiana decided to cut Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library from its budget, affecting many areas, including one library in Sullivan County.
The Imagination Library is a program that mails books to kids each month.
Dolly Parton and her team handle the database, the book selection, and the mailing process.
The Sullivan County Public Library has recently started participating in the program, but this year the state will not be involved in any funding.
April Cox is the Adult Services Librarian in Sullivan. She said, since starting the program, kids in the area are more excited to read.
“They are building their own personal libraries”, Cox said. “They are learning that books are fun and having books in the home encourages families to read with them. It gives them positive experiences with books and improves their reading literacy for when they go into kindergarten and go into school.”
Indiana’s First Lady, Maureen Braun, has launched an effort to fund Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It is a public-private partnership that will raise money for the program.
Cox said, if no extra funding is found, the Imagination Library in Sullivan will not last long.
“We are only good for less than a year”, Cox said. “We have enough funding for that, but to cover our two-year commitment that we made, we would have to do more fundraising on our own. Then, if it’s still not funded through the state, it would impact our decision to continue the program after we fulfill our three-year obligation.”
Cox said, currently, there are around 450 children in Sullivan County signed up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
