Elizabeth Procter-Gray, Secretary of the Friends of Webster’s Gladys E. Kelly Library, wants local families and kids to know about their Free Book Program. 

“We all know that we can borrow books from local libraries, but did you know that Webster kids can get free books to keep? It’s true! All children aged birth-5 years who are residents of Webster can receive one free book per month mailed to their home. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the Friends of the Gladys E. Kelly Library offer this opportunity to help every child develop a love of reading early in life,” said Procter-Gray. 

Webster is the only town in Worcester County that is enrolled in this program.

Webster parents, sign your kids up at the library at 2 Lake Street in Webster. Just tell them you want your child or children enrolled in the Imagination Library. It’s that simple. Think how excited your children will be to find a special present arriving in the mailbox just for them every month. It’s like having 12 holidays per year! If you have questions, please phone the library at 508-949-3880.

Dolly calls her free book program “The Imagination Library.” It is a book-gifting program that mails high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth until their fifth birthday at no cost to the family. 

How It Works:

Eligibility: Children are eligible if they live in a community where a local partner (affiliate) has adopted the program. There are no income requirements.

Registration: Parents or guardians can check availability and register their child at the Gladys E. Kelly Library front desk. 

Delivery: Once enrolled, the child receives a brand-new book in the mail every month, addressed to them personally. The first book is always The Little Engine That Could.

Cost: The program is entirely free to families. The Dollywood Foundation covers the program›s overhead while local affiliates secure funds to cover the cost of the books and shipping fees for their specific area. 

According to the Imagination Library’s website, in 1995, Dolly Parton launched an effort to benefit the children of her home county in East Tennessee. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. The new program gave each child a specially selected book each month. By mailing high quality, age-appropriate books directly to their homes, Dolly wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income. Since its launch, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has set and surpassed many goals and milestones. National replication, which started in 2000, allowed more communities to adopt the program. State-wide coverage was established in Tennessee in 2004. Furthermore, international growth provided expansion in Canada (2006), United Kingdom (2007) and Australia (2014). The first book order in 1995 totaled just over 1,700. Today, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends more than one million books per month to children around the world inspiring them to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.