While all of America recognized Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the state of Tennessee went a step further. It also recognized the 80th birthday of Tennessee-born country music legend Dolly Parton.

The governor of Tennessee proclaimed Jan. 19, 2026, Dolly Parton Day, recognizing her more than six decades of contributions to music, Tennessee culture and philanthropy, which included establishing the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 and, under its wing, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in 1995.

Santa Clara County also is grateful to Parton. In October 2025, the Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) partnered with the Imagination Library. Now, children five and younger can enroll in the program online, regardless of family income, and receive one free book a month, mailed directly to their home. As well as books in English, bilingual books that include both English and Spanish in the same book are available from the curated, age-appropriate selections. 

“We are delighted to bring this wonderful program to the youngest residents throughout Santa Clara County,” said County Librarian Jennifer Weeks. “Building a home library, reading to children starting at birth, and introducing families to their public library are important ways to help our littlest learners become successful readers!”

The SCCLD Imagination Library program covers children living in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill and Saratoga.

Parton is, perhaps, an unlikely angel in the world of literacy. One of 12 children, she grew up in poverty, starting out in a one-room cabin with no plumbing, electricity or access roads in Sevier County in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.

Nonetheless, her father—himself illiterate his entire life and ashamed of it—insisted that his children learn to read. When Parton founded the Imagination Library, she called it “a tribute to my Daddy.”

“Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission. In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county, but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over three million children,” said Parton.

Imagination Library funding is shared by SCCLD communities, a state match of 50%, administered through the California State Library, and the Dollywood Foundation, which covers the program’s infrastructure, including curating and sourcing the books at a discounted price and mailing them.

The SCCLD must cover the cost of books and postage, now approximately $2.60 per month, per child. County funding partners are the Santa Clara County Library District Foundation, the Gilroy Foundation in partnership with the Susie Seledon Literacy Fund and individual donors.  

Other partners: SCCLD, Santa Clara City Library, Sunnyvale Public Library, Los Gatos Library, City of Mountain View Public Library, Palo Alto City Library, San Jose Public Library, Rotary Club District 5170 and Kiwanis International.

Santa Clara County is one of more than 40 counties in California (out of 58 counties) to support an Imagination Library program.

“In the first three and a half months of offering this program to families in Santa Clara County, there are almost 16,000 children already registered,” said SCCLDF President Terrie Creamer.

“Every child deserves to become a strong reader and reading to your child starting at birth is key,” continued Creamer. “Donations of any amount are needed to ensure all children five years old and under have access to the Imagination Library.”

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