Westerville Public Library
Every two seconds, a book is mailed to a child between 1-5 years old within the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. This unique program is called the Imagination Library. In 1995, Dolly Parton created the Imagination Library to combat childhood illiteracy within her home county of Sevier, Tennessee. Originally motivated by her father’s inability to read or write, Parton wanted to ensure every child had the opportunity to read. Today, Parton’s program has expanded to four countries and mails more than one million free books to children around the world.
According to ProLiteracy, an adult literacy and basic education organization, “More than 30 million adults in the United States cannot read, write or do basic math above a third-grade level.”
In Westerville, the public library is attempting to rectify this problem with their own version of the Imagination Library.
“The program has been an amazing breakthrough for literacy in Westerville,” says Tamara Murray, marketing manager at Westerville Public Library.
“We launched the Imagination Library in January 2016,” says Murray. “This was the brainchild of our previous director, Don Barlow and the Westerville Library Foundation. They were looking for an ongoing project that they could support with fundraising efforts in addition to their work with our endowment fund.”
In 2018, the library mailed 25,231 books to over 2,000 program participants. At the library, any child who is 1-5 years old within the Westerville City School District is eligible to receive one book monthly until their fifth birthday.
“All of a sudden after being surrounded by reading, they start making the connection that this is a story and that is a character. It’s beautiful.” - Tamara Murray
The Westerville Library Foundation funds this with $25 for each child and guarantees that all books are free.
“The biggest boon is that home libraries have a major impact for kids,” says Murray. “For busy parents, getting to the library regularly can be hard. The Imagination Library bridges that gap and gets books into homes between library visits. Studies show that even as few as 20 books in a home can have a positive lasting impact, so this is a huge investment in learning for our community.”
In order to register for the Imagination Library, each participant must receive permission from their parents and then their guardian can fill out an online form with their address. It’s a simple process and accessible for all families.
George C. Anderson
Research conducted at the University of Michigan suggests that a mother’s reading level is the greatest factor in her child’s academic success. Therefore, by exposing children to reading early on, they can make connections. A letter can turn into a word and eventually children will recognize shapes, colors and stories.
“I am actually a librarian at heart,” says Murray. “From birth, kids that start making those connections, they start to understand that there is an up and a down and a left and a right. All of a sudden after being surrounded by reading, they start making the connection that this is a story and that is a character. It’s beautiful.”
There are several literacy programs throughout Columbus, but nothing that quite rivals the initiative of the Imagination Library. Each year, the Imagination Library expands and each year another county gives another child a chance to read and to learn.
“The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world,” Parton is famously quoted.
Dolly Parton may have created the Imagination Library, but the Westerville community has taken it upon itself to continue to spread literacy and guarantee that every child is given the opportunity to succeed.
Marissa Smithinsky is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
