Country legend, Calgary library team up to give kids free books

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The Calgary Public Library Foundation is teaming up with country music legend Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for My First Bookshelf, a one-year pilot program that will provide age-appropriate, high-quality books every month to children under the age of five for free.

The goal is to register 1,000 children for the Calgary program in the first year.

“My First Bookshelf is an exciting way for the library to extend its mission of providing accessible early learning support to children in Calgary,” said Heather Robertson, Director of Service Design for Calgary Public Library, in a release.

“While children can access a world of information through the library, having books of their own at home is a powerful way to inspire a lifelong love of reading.”

The foundation is hoping people will support the program with donations as little as $5.50 a month.

The idea isn’t new to Dolly Parton, who started it as a part of the Dollywood Foundation in 1995 and has sent out over 140 million free books in several countries.

“We are delighted this partnership will join 290 other communities across Canada inspiring a lifelong love of books to more than 26,000 children each month,” said Jeanne Smitiuch, Regional Director for The Dollywood Foundation of Canada, in a release.

The Calgary Public Library will review the pilot through the year with hopes to add more funding to expand the project to more communities in the city.

“Research shows that having even 20 books at home fosters a love of learning and sets children up for success when they start school,” said Tracy Johnson, CEO of the Calgary Public Library Foundation in a release.

“COVID-19 has illustrated how critically important this is and how children are affected when schools and libraries are temporarily closed. We know this program will resonate with Calgarians and we want to invite them to help support this life-changing program for as little as $5.50 a month.”