Governor and First Lady Gianforte Celebrate Statewide Expansion of Imagination Library of Montana

• August 27 2025

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte today celebrated the anniversary of the statewide expansion of the Imagination Library of Montana in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The non-profit program boosts early childhood literacy by providing free high-quality, age-appropriate books to Montana children up to age five.

“Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library inspires a love of reading in Montana by providing free, high-quality, and age-appropriate books each month to children up to age five,” Governor Gianforte said. “Today, we mark two years since this impactful program became available to Montana children in every zip code.”

“This year, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is celebrating 30 years of inspiring a love of reading and honoring all the incredible communities that have made that possible,” First Lady Gianforte said. “In Montana, we’re celebrating two years since the statewide expansion of the Imagination Library with over 27,000 Montana children now receiving monthly books through the program.”

Governor and First Lady Gianforte during an event in Bozeman to celebrate the Montana Imagination Library program

First Lady Gianforte's charitable foundation, the Treasure State Foundation, hosted an event in Bozeman to celebrate two years since the Imagination Library became available to all Montana children under the age of five.

The event featured a fireside chat with the first lady as well as music performances from Jivrolo and the Middle Creek Singers, a music group specially created for this celebration composed of students attending Headwaters Academy and Middle Creek Montessori in Bozeman, and Stephanie Quayle, a Nashville recording artist and Montana native.

In June 2023, the first lady joined Dolly Parton in announcing the statewide expansion of Imagination Library in Montana. Through the partnership, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides a free book each month to any Montana child, up to age five, who is registered with the organization. A child may be registered at montanaimaginationlibrary.org.

Prior to launching the initiative, the program was only available in some Montana counties and approximately 8,500 Montana children were enrolled. Today, Imagination Library of Montana has 63 local program partners in all 56 counties serving nearly 27,500 of the state’s eligible children. Over 590,000 books have been mailed in Montana since the program’s statewide expansion.

Montana was the sixteenth state to achieve statewide coverage of the program.

“All of these wonderful achievements have very little to do with me and everything to do with you. You’ve brought so much joy to so many families and children. And I just simply want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me inspire children to love reading,” said Dolly Parton.

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, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted nearly 300 million free books operating in five countries. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Program Partners.

This year, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is celebrating 30 years of the program. The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children up to age five. One book is mailed every second. In the U.S. alone, Imagination Library now reaches more than 1 in 7 children under five each month.

Boosting literacy to empower more Montana children and promoting and expanding access to STEM education, particularly for girls and students in our rural communities, are the first lady’s chief initiatives.

Parents and guardians interested in registering a child under the age of five can complete the enrollment form here.

A livestream of the event can be found here.

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