6 ms·

Dolly Parton Gives a Library of 100M Books (2018)

190 points by jmsflknr 8y ago

pfranz 8y ago
It sounds like a really great program. Unfortunately, when I tried to sign up it wasn't available in my area. It wasn't really clear why until I read this article which says, "available in communities where a local partner has teamed up with the Imagination Library." I wished they had at least offered some sort of suggestion or mailing list for those who they can't service. I could likely afford to buy a book each month, but don't have the time to spend researching which ones are worth buying. Similarly, my pediatrician hands out an age-appropriate book at each visit.
- dmix 8y ago
  True, they could include a link to how to be come a local agent in their 'rejection' letter. Municipal stuff like that tends to be easy to figure out, ie knowing someone who works at a library.
- User23 8y ago
  Successful charities always require community involvement. As the sibling comment says, the real criticism is that they don't encourage you to get involved.
- themodelplumber 8y ago
  Our local (rural) community foundation signed up, in case there is one near you under which you'd like to light a spark. My kids got those books for years and it was fun and nice to come home to such a generous and quality gift. But the library, library book sales, and other local sources like garage sales or credit-swapping consignment shops are also enough alone around here to pile the books quite high. In addition, screen time is absolutely wicked these days compared to when I was a kid. Hoopla is amazing, as are the various sandbox games in which you can mine, farm, build, design, and just explore. I grew up glued to the computer so I take a pretty "whatev" approach as long as I know the screen-activity characteristics are broadly "good" or better yet "fitting for my kid's psychological needs".
  - pfranz 8y ago
    Yeah, the library is a great resource. Another parent and I were talking the other week about handing-down books, but young kids are absolutely brutal with books. There are books I've already bought 2-3 times. I do look forward to donating the books that have survived to my local library or to another family when he outgrows them. The thing I really like about this program, that I have a difficult time doing in my own, is a regular age-appropriate book. It's hard to remind yourself every few weeks to try something new. When you think of books you liked as a kid, like "there's a monster at the end of this book," isn't always at the right level for your child and I always err on what he liked yesterday not really knowing what he'll grow into next.
coldtea 8y ago
100M books? Who knew Dolly Parton was so well read?
- acqq 8y ago
  > 100M books? Who knew Dolly Parton was so well read? Who knew somebody didn't read the article? "Parton visited the Library of Congress on Tuesday to celebrate a major milestone in the Imagination Library's history: delivery of its 100 millionth book. Not bad for a program Parton founded more than two decades ago as a small, local effort to help kids in her native Sevier County, Tennessee." "Every month, the nonprofit program mails a free book to more than a million children — from infants to preschoolers."
  - coldtea 8y ago
    >Who knew somebody didn't read the article? Wooosh.
- Splognosticus 8y ago
  > 100M books? Who knew Dolly Parton was so well read? This has been a project of hers for a very long time. https://imaginationlibrary.com/about-us https://imaginationlibrary.com/about-us
  - HenryBemis 8y ago
    Not very useful comment, just wanted to write this... anything that can be done for the betterment of children's lives, anywhere on this planet, it a winning point for humanity. I didn't even know that Dolly Parton had started something like that, I never appreciated her music (byt hey, I bet not many people appreciate the early Sepultura albums either), but she now has my utmost respect.
    - eigenstuff 8y ago
      She also started Dollywood as a way to create jobs in a historically impoverished part of the country. You don't bad mouth Dolly in East Tennessee, she's like our patron saint.
keypusher 8y ago
> Any child from birth to 5 — before they head off to kindergarten — is eligible. Her original goal was to improve literacy rates. Targeting children under 5 seems like a strange way to approach this. Reading to your kids is great, and there is some evidence it might help, but if you want kids to read then getting great books into hands of 5-10 year olds seem like it would help more. Despite coming from a very well-read family, and having been read to at an early age, I resisted reading at a young age. I just wasn't interested in it, and preferred doing other things. It wasn't until 4th grade where I found a copy of 'A Book Dragon' somewhere and fell in love with it. Despite probably being above my reading level at the time, I struggled through it and then went on to devour just about every fantasy book I could get my hands on, becoming an avid general reader in the process. The right book can really make all the difference.
- misnome 8y ago
  On the other hand, I could easily see how consistent exposure to books under 5 might build the interest and drive for them to learn and keep reading. I think they are important all the way through.
- Illniyar 8y ago
  From the article it appears she advocates "early childhood literacy" , which generally means literacy before school age. Whether or not you agree with it, it does seem that the program is aligned with her goals.
- taneq 8y ago
  Reading to children early on seems to be a strong predictor of later positive outcomes including literacy. Of course, these kind of things seem more likely to be common-cause (to me at least) - kids whose parents regularly read aloud to them probably also are encouraged to learn in other ways.
  - dsfyu404ed 8y ago
    If you teach your kid to read early you shift your kid's performance curve earlier than everyone else's kids so of course it corresponds to "better outcomes." There's a huge amount of positive feedback loops involved in education so if you can give your kid an start that gives them a tiny leg up on their peers it's likely that they will carry that lead all the way through to adulthood. It's the same arms race we see in athletics. Kids that start school a year later (and are bigger) have better athletics outcomes. Few people really are naturally exceptional at anything. However, if you've managed to shift your kid's performance curve so they look "gifted" compared to the other kids then your kid gets the best the education system has to offer and this investment of resources compounds in a way that gives them better opportunities which at scale correlates a lot with better outcomes. Basically parents that have the time/resources/will to game the system in favor of their kids have kids that out-compete the kids of parents who don't. Water is wet. More news at 11.
patwolf 8y ago
We've been getting books from Imagination Library for a couple years have really enjoyed the service. It's easy to get into the routine of reading the same books over and over to kids. This at least gives us some variety and is obviously much cheaper than something like Amazon's Prime Book Box. I do feel guilty at times because we aren't in financial need of the books. However, I do plan on donating back to Imagination Library, which will probably more than cover the cost of the books they've sent us over the years. Maybe that's part of their reasoning for not making the program dependent on financial need.
- mattferderer 8y ago
  I believe United Way, which partners with Imagination Library, suggests a donation of $30 to cover books for 1 child per year.
- noneeeed 8y ago
  Don't feel guilty. The other thing you can do is donate those books forward (assuming they've not completely fallen apart), to a community library, or a local school. Children's books, especially for younger kids, can take a real battering, so new supply is often welcome. My son's primary school has a really extensive collection of books you can borrow, all of them donated by past parents. They have them on displays outside the appropriate classrooms and you just take whichever ones you want and bring them back when you are done with them. No need to check them out. One of the reasons projects like this don't always means-test is because it puts people off asking. A lot of people see it as shameful, it can be invasive and more time-consumeing, having to say "I'm poor, here's the paperwork and supporting documents to prove it, please give me help". In addition, the savings from limiting it are often partially or totally outweighed by the additional cost of all that beauracracy. In the UK there is an additional payment that goes to all pensioners in winter to help with the cost of heating. It's automatic because there was a real likelihood that making it means tested would simply mean that many who could benefit would never apply and the admin would cost more than was saved. I think it was the same argument for making school meals free for all kids for the first few years.
- kayamon 8y ago
  Never feel guilty. That’s not why she does it. If you ever feel guilt, pass it on. Make someone else’s life better as a result.
setgree 8y ago
Not totally on-topic, but I love photos of kids this age (4-6?) listening to adults reading books. I strive for that kind of uninterrupted engagement and wonder.
throwaway5752 8y ago
She's relatively quiet about her philanthropy, but Dolly Parton came from deep poverty and she's done a lot for the region she grew up in (Sevier County, TN) and for childhood literacy.
watersb 8y ago
Seriously, I love Dolly Parton. To me, she represents everything good about the place I was born, with grace, humility, and compassionate absurdity in equal measure. (If you've ever toured as a musician, the compassionate absurdity part comes in handy.)

190 points by jmsflknr 8y ago

It sounds like a really great program. Unfortunately, when I tried to sign up it wasn't available in my area. It wasn't really clear why until I read this article which says, "available in communities where a local partner has teamed up with the Imagination Library." I wished they had at least offered some sort of suggestion or mailing list for those who they can't service. I could likely afford to buy a book each month, but don't have the time to spend researching which ones are worth buying. Similarly, my pediatrician hands out an age-appropriate book at each visit.

dmix 8y ago
True, they could include a link to how to be come a local agent in their 'rejection' letter. Municipal stuff like that tends to be easy to figure out, ie knowing someone who works at a library.
User23 8y ago
Successful charities always require community involvement. As the sibling comment says, the real criticism is that they don't encourage you to get involved.
themodelplumber 8y ago
Our local (rural) community foundation signed up, in case there is one near you under which you'd like to light a spark. My kids got those books for years and it was fun and nice to come home to such a generous and quality gift. But the library, library book sales, and other local sources like garage sales or credit-swapping consignment shops are also enough alone around here to pile the books quite high. In addition, screen time is absolutely wicked these days compared to when I was a kid. Hoopla is amazing, as are the various sandbox games in which you can mine, farm, build, design, and just explore. I grew up glued to the computer so I take a pretty "whatev" approach as long as I know the screen-activity characteristics are broadly "good" or better yet "fitting for my kid's psychological needs".
- pfranz 8y ago
  Yeah, the library is a great resource. Another parent and I were talking the other week about handing-down books, but young kids are absolutely brutal with books. There are books I've already bought 2-3 times. I do look forward to donating the books that have survived to my local library or to another family when he outgrows them. The thing I really like about this program, that I have a difficult time doing in my own, is a regular age-appropriate book. It's hard to remind yourself every few weeks to try something new. When you think of books you liked as a kid, like "there's a monster at the end of this book," isn't always at the right level for your child and I always err on what he liked yesterday not really knowing what he'll grow into next.

coldtea 8y ago

100M books? Who knew Dolly Parton was so well read?

acqq 8y ago
> 100M books? Who knew Dolly Parton was so well read? Who knew somebody didn't read the article? "Parton visited the Library of Congress on Tuesday to celebrate a major milestone in the Imagination Library's history: delivery of its 100 millionth book. Not bad for a program Parton founded more than two decades ago as a small, local effort to help kids in her native Sevier County, Tennessee." "Every month, the nonprofit program mails a free book to more than a million children — from infants to preschoolers."
- coldtea 8y ago
  >Who knew somebody didn't read the article? Wooosh.
Splognosticus 8y ago
> 100M books? Who knew Dolly Parton was so well read? This has been a project of hers for a very long time. https://imaginationlibrary.com/about-us https://imaginationlibrary.com/about-us
- HenryBemis 8y ago
  Not very useful comment, just wanted to write this... anything that can be done for the betterment of children's lives, anywhere on this planet, it a winning point for humanity. I didn't even know that Dolly Parton had started something like that, I never appreciated her music (byt hey, I bet not many people appreciate the early Sepultura albums either), but she now has my utmost respect.
  - eigenstuff 8y ago
    She also started Dollywood as a way to create jobs in a historically impoverished part of the country. You don't bad mouth Dolly in East Tennessee, she's like our patron saint.

keypusher 8y ago

> Any child from birth to 5 — before they head off to kindergarten — is eligible. Her original goal was to improve literacy rates. Targeting children under 5 seems like a strange way to approach this. Reading to your kids is great, and there is some evidence it might help, but if you want kids to read then getting great books into hands of 5-10 year olds seem like it would help more. Despite coming from a very well-read family, and having been read to at an early age, I resisted reading at a young age. I just wasn't interested in it, and preferred doing other things. It wasn't until 4th grade where I found a copy of 'A Book Dragon' somewhere and fell in love with it. Despite probably being above my reading level at the time, I struggled through it and then went on to devour just about every fantasy book I could get my hands on, becoming an avid general reader in the process. The right book can really make all the difference.

misnome 8y ago
On the other hand, I could easily see how consistent exposure to books under 5 might build the interest and drive for them to learn and keep reading. I think they are important all the way through.
Illniyar 8y ago
From the article it appears she advocates "early childhood literacy" , which generally means literacy before school age. Whether or not you agree with it, it does seem that the program is aligned with her goals.
taneq 8y ago
Reading to children early on seems to be a strong predictor of later positive outcomes including literacy. Of course, these kind of things seem more likely to be common-cause (to me at least) - kids whose parents regularly read aloud to them probably also are encouraged to learn in other ways.
- dsfyu404ed 8y ago
  If you teach your kid to read early you shift your kid's performance curve earlier than everyone else's kids so of course it corresponds to "better outcomes." There's a huge amount of positive feedback loops involved in education so if you can give your kid an start that gives them a tiny leg up on their peers it's likely that they will carry that lead all the way through to adulthood. It's the same arms race we see in athletics. Kids that start school a year later (and are bigger) have better athletics outcomes. Few people really are naturally exceptional at anything. However, if you've managed to shift your kid's performance curve so they look "gifted" compared to the other kids then your kid gets the best the education system has to offer and this investment of resources compounds in a way that gives them better opportunities which at scale correlates a lot with better outcomes. Basically parents that have the time/resources/will to game the system in favor of their kids have kids that out-compete the kids of parents who don't. Water is wet. More news at 11.

patwolf 8y ago

We've been getting books from Imagination Library for a couple years have really enjoyed the service. It's easy to get into the routine of reading the same books over and over to kids. This at least gives us some variety and is obviously much cheaper than something like Amazon's Prime Book Box. I do feel guilty at times because we aren't in financial need of the books. However, I do plan on donating back to Imagination Library, which will probably more than cover the cost of the books they've sent us over the years. Maybe that's part of their reasoning for not making the program dependent on financial need.

mattferderer 8y ago
I believe United Way, which partners with Imagination Library, suggests a donation of $30 to cover books for 1 child per year.
noneeeed 8y ago
Don't feel guilty. The other thing you can do is donate those books forward (assuming they've not completely fallen apart), to a community library, or a local school. Children's books, especially for younger kids, can take a real battering, so new supply is often welcome. My son's primary school has a really extensive collection of books you can borrow, all of them donated by past parents. They have them on displays outside the appropriate classrooms and you just take whichever ones you want and bring them back when you are done with them. No need to check them out. One of the reasons projects like this don't always means-test is because it puts people off asking. A lot of people see it as shameful, it can be invasive and more time-consumeing, having to say "I'm poor, here's the paperwork and supporting documents to prove it, please give me help". In addition, the savings from limiting it are often partially or totally outweighed by the additional cost of all that beauracracy. In the UK there is an additional payment that goes to all pensioners in winter to help with the cost of heating. It's automatic because there was a real likelihood that making it means tested would simply mean that many who could benefit would never apply and the admin would cost more than was saved. I think it was the same argument for making school meals free for all kids for the first few years.
kayamon 8y ago
Never feel guilty. That’s not why she does it. If you ever feel guilt, pass it on. Make someone else’s life better as a result.

setgree 8y ago

Not totally on-topic, but I love photos of kids this age (4-6?) listening to adults reading books. I strive for that kind of uninterrupted engagement and wonder.

throwaway5752 8y ago

She's relatively quiet about her philanthropy, but Dolly Parton came from deep poverty and she's done a lot for the region she grew up in (Sevier County, TN) and for childhood literacy.

watersb 8y ago

Seriously, I love Dolly Parton. To me, she represents everything good about the place I was born, with grace, humility, and compassionate absurdity in equal measure. (If you've ever toured as a musician, the compassionate absurdity part comes in handy.)