Contact: Ramona Burkey, 860-347-2528 ext. 1141; rburkey@russelllibrary.org

“Russell Library Partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Provide Free Books to Middletown Children”

October 10, 2024

MIDDLETOWN, CT. The Russell Library is thrilled to announce the pilot launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which will provide free books to Middletown children, at no cost to their families.

Families in ZIP codes 06457 and 06459 can register infants, toddlers and preschoolers to have one age-appropriate, high-quality book mailed directly to their home every month until they reach the age of 5. The program is made possible through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding approved by the City of Middletown’s ARPA Task Force. 

“This is just huge for Middletown,” said Russell Library Director Ramona Burkey. “Studies have shown that regardless of a child’s family income, their parents’ education, or other factors, a major indicator of success later in life is the number of books in the child’s home during their formative years. In addition to providing library cards to infants starting at birth, offering high-quality early literacy programs run by professional librarians, and removing barriers such as overdue fines, the Russell Library now has yet another powerful tool in our belt to help us empower all of Middletown’s children to grow, connect, strive and thrive.”

Mayor Benjamin D. Florsheim, who chairs the city’s ARPA Task Force, agrees: “This project is a home run in terms of providing equitable and consistent access to books for every small child in Middletown. According to the most recent census, there are about 2,000 children under the age of 5 in our city, and every single one of those kids needs and deserves a great start in life. With Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, we are potentially getting 24,000 more books into the hands of Middletown children every year. That’s life-changing.”

Since the soft launch on October 1, more than 170 children have already been registered to receive books. Middletown is now the fourth town in Connecticut to participate in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, following Stratford, Hartford and New Britain. A bill requiring the State Librarian to establish a state-wide program to advance and strengthen Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library programs was proposed during the 2023 session of the Connecticut General Assembly, but the bill did not advance out of committee. Currently, ten states offer statewide Imagination Library programs, with another ten states in the process of expanding to statewide service.

While ARPA funding for Middletown’s project will last through calendar year 2026, local partners have already expressed interest in making the program sustainable beyond that: “The Middletown Rotary Club is very excited to partner with the Russell Library long-term to help ensure crucial early literacy services such as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” says Lakisha Hyatt, Rotary Club President. “Our club has a strong focus on literacy, and this project aligns seamlessly with that.”

Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program worldwide. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has gifted well over 200 million free books in Australia, Canada, The Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Imagination Library mails more than 2.4 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth until age five. Growing up with a father who was illiterate, Dolly envisioned inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children. The program's impact has been widely researched, and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.  

To register a Middletown child under age 5, please visit www.RussellLibrary.org or stop by the Russell Library in-person at 123 Broad Street during library business hours.