Dolly Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer. For families across Butler County, her legacy arrives in the mailbox every month.

MidPointe Library System, which administers the Imagination Library program locally, published a tribute on Aug. 25, written by staff member Morgan Ward.

"If I'm remembered 100 years from now, I hope it will be not for my looks but for books," Parton once said, as the tribute noted.

The program she founded in 1995 mails one free, age-appropriate book each month to enrolled children from birth through their fifth birthday. A child signed up at birth can receive as many as 60 books before turning five. By the day of Parton's death, the Imagination Library had delivered more than 332 million books across five countries to over 3 million children, according to MidPointe's tribute.

The Ohio and Butler County connection

Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine launched the state's chapter of the Imagination Library in August 2019. The program reached all 88 Ohio counties by November 2020, according to ABC6.

In Butler County, MidPointe Library System and Lane Libraries administer the program together, funded by the state initiative and local donors. Families pay nothing. Any child from birth through age five living in Butler County can enroll through MidPointe Library's website.

The statewide numbers are striking. More than one million Ohio children have received free books through the program, totaling nearly 28 million books, DeWine said in a statement Aug. 25. In 2025, DeWine helped launch an initiative allowing parents to enroll newborns through the Ohio birth certificate paperwork at the hospital.

DeWine visited MidPointe Library Middletown in June 2024 as part of the Summer Lunch Program, where she shared information about the Imagination Library and gave children visiting the library a book to keep.

Parton's personal motivation

Parton created the program in her East Tennessee hometown. The initiative was inspired by her father, who was illiterate. She said he "got to live long enough to hear the kids call me the Book Lady," according to NBC News.

MidPointe said in its tribute that the library system remains grateful for Parton's compassion and commitment to fostering learning and community.

How to sign up

Butler County parents can enroll children from birth through age five through MidPointe Library's website at midpointelibrary.org/dolly-partons-imagination-library. The program is free, and books arrive monthly at the child's home. MidPointe Library's West Chester branch is located at 9363 Centre Pointe Drive.

The Imagination Library program remains open for enrollment year-round.