The Friends of the Lisbon Library will be participating in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which is a program especially designed for young children.
The program will provide free books monthly to infants through 5-year-olds living within the 52253 zip code.
“A library patron approached the Lisbon Library about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program this summer,” noted Michelle Platt with the Friends of the Lisbon Library. “It is a great fit for the library, and the Friends are planning and setting up the program’s launch this year.”
The Friends of the Lisbon Library, who have much love for books and reading, are excited to bring this program to the Lisbon community.
Enrollment in the Imagination Library can begin soon for Lisbon children ages infant through 5 years old by:
• Registering online at the Imagination Library web page https://imaginationlibrary.com/register/
• Emailing one of the Friends at [email protected], who will be happy to assist
Or, visiting the Lisbon Public Library for support
Platt noted that Lisbon already has 23 families in the community who have shown a previous interest in the program at the Imagination Library website, and the goal is to enroll at least 40 children by the end of this year and continue growing the program over the next few years.
“Interest in enrolling in this program has been wonderful,” Platt said.
After registering, each child will begin to receive one free specially-selected and age-appropriate high-quality book mailed directly to the child every month of the year until the child turns 6. These books are personalized with the child’s name and mailed directly to their home.
The intent of the Imagination Library is to create a gifting experience that makes books exciting and shows the child someone is thinking of them. It is recommended families or caregivers read each book immediately, together and multiple times over the course of a month. Children who are enrolled will continue receiving monthly books until their sixth birthday as long as they are in a location with an Imagination Library affiliation.
The program is free to families, but does require funding. The Friends of the Lisbon Library should have enough funds to support the first year of the program due to the generous support from an anonymous donor. Platt noted the group will be hosting a number of fundraisers over the course of the next few years to support the program moving forward. If there is 100% participation in the community, the Friends’ cost becomes roughly $5,000 a year.
Fundraising options the group is encouraging include designating the Friends of the Lisbon Library as the group supported via Amazon Smile. The Friends are also asking employed individuals or companies to take advantage of corporate-match donations. The Friends of the Library intends to offer opportunities for relatives or anyone to sponsor one or more children each year. In addition, donations can be mailed to or dropped off in care of the Friends (of the Lisbon Public Library) at the Library’s location on 101 East Main Street, Lisbon, IA 52253. The group is exploring electronic donation options via the library’s website and Facebook pages, especially with the upcoming Giving Tuesday holiday Tuesday, Nov. 30.
Other fundraisers will be considered over the course of the next few years to sustain this long-term program.
“We really expect getting more kids in this community reading at a young age to do great things for the community and school,” said John Bardsley, Lisbon city council member and member of the Friends of the Lisbon Library group. “These are books these families will be able to read many times together. It’s a program we at the Friends of the Lisbon Library are very excited about.”
According to the Imagination Library, rigorous research confirms the benefits of reading with a caregiver and daily reading is a positive experience for both caregivers and children. These interactions enhance a home literacy environment, increase positive attitudes about reading and improve motivation to read. It’s been found a child’s future reading ability improves along with their readiness for kindergarten.
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has gifted well over 150 million free books in Australia, Canada, The Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States. The Imagination Library mails more than 1.8 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth through age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring them to dream. The impact of the program has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
The Friends of the Lisbon Library has been active since 2009 with a variety of community literacy programs and community events. These range from seasonal reading programs, storybook walks, after-school or summer break program offerings and free books. The Friends often support Lisbon Public Library special events of musical concerts, puppet shows and a nearly-annual Spelling Bee held in Heritage Hall.