Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Knox County and The Dollywood Foundation are presenting a free one-night-only live streaming world premiere event for “The Library That Dolly Built”, a behind-the-scenes look at Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.



Originally scheduled as a nationwide live event on more than 300 screens this past spring, the world premiere for “The Library That Dolly Built” has been reimagined as a free live stream screening of the film, exclusively on Facebook, available nationally at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 9, 2020.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with, and live acoustic performance by, Dolly Parton. Viewers can tune into the live screening and conversation on FB.ME/dollysimaginationlibrary and ImaginationLibrary.com. 
 
“The Library That Dolly Built,” directed and produced by UTK journalism professor and director of Land Grant Films Nick Geidner, and narrated by Danica McKellar, goes behind the scenes of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to show how one of the most famous and beloved performers in the world has partnered with thousands of local community organizations to develop an efficient and effective program for spreading the love of reading.  

Parton created the Imagination Library to inspire a love for books and reading amongst the nation’s preschool children. Since its inception in 1995, the Imagination Library has grown into a global endeavor and recently hit a new milestone, gifting its 150 millionth book.   

Dolly Parton said, "I am so excited that we can finally tell the whole story of the Imagination Library. It is certainly not just about me. Our story is the story of children, of families and communities who all share the dream to inspire kids to love to read and to love to learn. My hope is this documentary will encourage more towns, more states, and even more countries to jump onboard. One thing is for sure, I think this is the best investment I have ever made!"   

Imagination Library started as a gift for the children in Dolly’s hometown of Sevierville, Tennessee, and is now active in all 50 states, and five countries, gifting 1.7 million free, age-appropriate books to children every month. The film also provides a glimpse of the profound impact the Imagination Library has on the people through original interviews with authors, policymakers, Imagination Library staff, recipients, and the legend herself, Dolly Parton. Woven throughout the film is a biographical sketch of Dolly Parton, featuring rare photos and films from her childhood. Unlike most biographies of Dolly, it doesn’t focus on her music. Instead, it demonstrates that at every point in her career, any time she has had success, Dolly Parton has returned home to Sevierville to give back to her people.  

“We are very excited about this documentary,” commented Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “The Knox County Public Library, which administers the local program, has been integral to the development of the project, aiding Dr. Geidner along the way. Many of the scenes were filmed in our libraries and with local families. This is such a great program that truly supports early literacy in the tangible way. We can’t teach children to learn to read if they don’t have books in their homes. Dolly Parton is brilliant, and we are immensely grateful for her vision and generosity.”  

The Imagination Library affiliate in Knox County launched 16 years ago with the help of former Governor Phil Bredesen, Mayor Mike Ragsdale, and Mayor Bill Haslam. Today, it has mailed out 3,250,000 million books to 60,000 children. The program boasts one of the highest per capita registrations of any urban program in the world. 

For more information, please visit www.imaginationlibrary.com/film.