Saying goodbye to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

We have some sad news to share. Our funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Natrona County ends Dec. 31, and the free monthly books that have been arriving in mailboxes across the county will stop with it.

This one is hard for us. The Imagination Library was one of our earliest projects, and we have loved being part of the lives of our community’s youngest readers and their families. Since the program launched in fall 2022, 100,695 books have gone out to 4,082 Natrona County children, each one with a child’s name on it.

This year, we finished a strategic planning process shaped by conversations with families and local leaders across the county. That work asked us to focus our resources on fewer areas where we can make the greatest difference in community health over the next five years. Ending our support for the Imagination Library was part of that shift, and it was a difficult decision.

Over the life of the program, we invested more than $212,000 in the Imagination Library, including $30,000 to the Natrona County Library to run it and cover materials.

We are grateful to the Natrona County Library for making this program work. Their staff signed up families, managed registrations, and helped put every one of those books into the hands of Natrona County kids. Our community is better for their care and commitment.

If your child is enrolled, you should have received a letter from the Library about the change. The Library is still here for your family. A free library card lets you check out books from the Library’s collection, and the Library offers storytimes, early literacy programs, and activities for young children. Learn more at natronacountylibrary.org.

We hope another funder will step forward so the program can continue in Natrona County. If your organization is interested in carrying it on, we’d welcome a conversation. Reach out to Beth Worthen, CEO of the Trust, at bworthen@collectivehealthtrust.org.

To every family who signed up and read along with us: thank you. It has been a joy to be part of your child’s first library.