Pope County, Arkansas: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL), the national organization that gifts free books to children under five, is spreading their magic to the Pope County Library System. Building on the success of monthly DPIL storytimes in Yell and Johnson Counties, the River Valley Adult Learning Alliance is bringing the program to the Atkins and Dover libraries in Pope County (the Hector Library plans join the lineup in January).
Each monthly storytime features a guest reader from the community, and every child who attends will receive a free book from the Arkansas Imagination Library collection. Families are encouraged to sign up to receive monthly books from DPIL until their fifth birthday. 1,583 Pope County children (41%) are currently enrolled in the program. Participation improves literacy and connection for the whole family and boosts educational outcomes and workforce readiness. 24% of DPIL enrollers are less likely to be held back in kindergarten, and 28% are less likely to be held back in third grade.
Tammy Benson, Local Program Partner Director for the Arkansas Imagination Library, served as the first reader for the program in Dover and Atkins on the 13th and 16th days of October. She read Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors and shared a nightlight craft with the children to help them remind their parents to read to them at bedtime. Each library will recruit future readers from their own community. (Anyone interested in serving as a reader can contact Maggie Oliver in Dover at 479-331-2173; Kim Tise in Atkins at 479-641-7904; or Karen Snider in Hector at 479-0907.)
Costs for the program are shared by the Dollywood Foundation, Arkansas Imagination Library, and local program partners. The Dollywood Foundation covers overhead and administrative costs, while the Arkansas Imagination Library oversees a 50% matching program which leaves $1.30 per child to be raised by the local community.
The River Valley United Way has served as the Pope County affiliate and will continue in that role through the end of 2025; the River Valley Adult Learning Alliance is considering picking up the baton in 2026. Local donors, both individual and corporate, are needed to keep the program afloat.
To enroll your child in the book gifting program from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, sign up at arkansasimaginationlibrary.org. It takes about 5 weeks to process children into the program. If you would like to donate to help children in Pope County receive books, go to arkansasimaginationlibrary.org/give/. Be sure to designate Pope County before submitting your donation.
