Hardeman County Imagination Library Celebrates 20 Years of Making a Difference

09/21/2026

For two decades, the Hardeman County Imagination Library has been putting books into the hands of local children, and the organization is celebrating the milestone by highlighting the impact early literacy can have on children, families and the community.

The Hardeman County Imagination Library (HCIL) is celebrating its 20th anniversary of providing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to children across Hardeman County. HCIL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation.

The program provides free books to enrolled children from birth until age five. During its 20 years in Hardeman County, more than 3,770 children have graduated from the program, and approximately 192,000 books have been mailed to local children.

As HCIL celebrates those numbers, its board is also focusing on a larger question: What difference does access to books make in the lives of children?

The organization points to findings from the recent “Groundbreaking International Study of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” authored by Dr. Claire Galea, United Way Australia’s Head of Research. The study examined the program in five countries — the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.

According to findings cited by HCIL, children in the United States participating in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library were 11 times more likely to show an interest in books and 15 times more likely to participate during shared book reading compared with children who were not enrolled in the program.

Participating children were also nearly three times more likely to demonstrate concepts about print, nine times more likely to initiate shared book reading and five times more likely to show an interest in reading.

The study also found differences in how caregivers interacted with children and books. Caregivers participating in the program were six times more likely to count images with their children, eight times more likely to describe images and five times more likely to allow the child to hold the book.

For HCIL, those findings help demonstrate why the organization considers the program a long-term investment not only in individual children, but also in the future of Hardeman County.

The mission of the Hardeman County Imagination Library is twofold: to reach parents and guardians and enroll every eligible child in the county, and to raise the local share of funding necessary to provide the books.

As the organization marks its 20th anniversary, the HCIL board is inviting the community to help continue that mission by enrolling eligible children and supporting the program financially.

Children from birth to age five who live in Hardeman County may be enrolled through the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation. Those wishing to make a donation to support the program may also do so through the foundation and designate their contribution for Hardeman County.

To enroll a child in the Dolly Parton Imagination CLICK HERE and make a donation CLICK HERE (please specify “Hardeman County” to designate).

Read more local news by clicking here.

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