British Library honours Dolly Parton's Imagination Library after her death
The British Library has celebrated Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, with a pre-recorded message from Parton, support from Sting and Shaggy, and plans to expand the UK book scheme.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The British Library has held an event celebrating Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and its work to get more children reading. The event had been planned for Parton to attend in person, but she died last month, so organisers played a pre-recorded message. In it, Parton said her father told her before he died that the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing she had ever done.
The charity gives one free book every month to registered children from birth until they are five. It launched in the UK in 2007. Since then, it has delivered more than seven million books to children in the UK, with around 45,000 children still receiving a book each month. The Dollywood Foundation hopes to expand the scheme to 157,000 children a month, helped by £5 million from the Postcode Lottery.
Musicians Sting and Shaggy lent their support at the British Library. They spoke about the value of reading print books and the power of stories. One said that books can give a story or an emotion and described that as a miracle. Another said reading takes children to new places and is better than social media and scrolling. The event came as reading rates among children are going down, and organisers stressed the importance of having age-appropriate books at home.
Families also described what the books meant to them. One parent said the monthly deliveries had become an event at home, and a grandparent said she loved books. In a separate interview, Jeff Conyers, president of the Dollywood Foundation, said the Imagination Library was one of the things closest to Parton's heart and probably one of the most important things she had ever done. He said Parton was like a friend to everyone and described her as a special light in the world. Two young beneficiaries, Harith and Sienna Cedric-Ugo, said they had received about 45 books so far and expected 60 by the time Sienna turns five. Sienna's favourite was Shark in the Park.
Parton was one of the most successful country music artists in history, selling more than 100 million records worldwide. The event underlined how her reading charity has become a central part of her legacy.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|
| Dolly Parton died in the previous month. | ||
| A British Library event honoured Dolly Parton's charity work, including a pre-recorded message or video from Parton after she had been due to attend. | · | |
| Dolly Parton's foundation aims to expand its book scheme to 157,000 children per month using five million pounds from the Postcode Lottery. | · | |
| Dolly Parton's Imagination Library gives one free book every month from birth to age five and is expanding with Postcode Lottery funding. | · | |
| Dolly Parton's worldwide record sales exceeded 100 million. | · | |
| Jeff Conyers serves as president of the Dollywood Foundation. | · | |
| Organisers had planned for Dolly Parton to attend a British Library event before her death last month. | · | |
| Sting and Shaggy took part in the celebration of Dolly Parton's work. | · | |
| The charity has distributed seven million free books across the UK since 2007, and 45,000 children continue to receive a monthly book. | · | |
| The Dollywood Foundation president said the Imagination Library was a project close to Dolly Parton's heart. | · | |
| The Imagination Library charity gives registered children one free book each month from birth to age five. | · | |
| Two beneficiaries, Harith and Sienna Cedric-Ugo, have received about 45 books and expect to receive 60 by age five. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The lunchtime bulletin treated the British Library event as a legacy story and gave it a full report. It stressed that Parton had been due to attend before her death, played her pre-recorded message, and provided the clearest expansion figures, including £5 million from the Postcode Lottery and a target of 157,000 children a month. It did not name Sting or Shaggy, referring only to two famous wordsmiths.
- “Now before he passed away my daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing that I had ever done.”
- “Since its UK launch in 2007 the charities delivered seven million free books to children.”
- “Dolly's foundation hopes to expand the scheme to 157,000 children a month thanks to five million pounds from the Postcode Lottery.”
The evening bulletin framed the event as a celebration of Parton's charity work and named Sting and Shaggy as celebrity supporters. It reused the pre-recorded Dolly clip and reading quotes that also appeared at Ten, with less detail on the Postcode Lottery expansion than the lunchtime report. Families described the monthly books as an event in the home.
- “And today her charity work was honoured at the British Library, featuring a message she was supposed to deliver in person.”
- “I think it's hugely important that kids read, actually read print, read books.”
- “The Imagination Library launched here in the UK in 2007, and since then, more than 7 million books have been delivered to children here.”
News at Ten placed the event a month after Parton's death and described the pre-recorded video as a surprise appearance. It repeated the evening bulletin's structure and quotes, giving the item a legacy-focused close to the programme. It did not include the £5 million or 157,000 expansion figures.
- “Finally, a month after her death, the legacy of Dolly Parton lives on in words and pictures.”
- “The pictures are a surprise appearance in a pre-recorded video from Dolly at a reading session at the British Library.”
- “When Dolly sang, millions listened. And her Imagination Library has put books into the hands of millions more.”
Sky News did not report from the British Library event. It marked Parton's death with a studio interview with Jeff Conyers of the Dollywood Foundation and with two child beneficiaries of the Imagination Library. The segment focused on Parton's personality, the charity's personal meaning, and the experience of receiving books, with a warm, light tone.
- “She often said that the Imagination Library was her heart work, and probably one of the most important things that she's ever done.”
- “I don't know that there will be another Dolly Parton ever.”
- “We've received so far, if I was to count, about 45 books.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 02:48 BST
Jeff Conyers, president of the Dollywood Foundation
“Been an absolute pleasure of lifetime”
Sky News · Wed 23 Sept - 02:49 BST
Sienna Cedric-Ugo, beneficiary of the Imagination Library
“We're joined in studio now by Harith and Sienna Cedric-Ugo,”
Sky News · Wed 23 Sept
Broadcast Timeline
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