Imagination Library Of Charles County Celebrates Over 100,000 Books Gifted To Local Children
Charles County Public Library
August 18, 2025
Link to News Article in PDF Format
LA PLATA, Md. – The Charles County Public Library (CCPL) is proud to announce a major milestone for its Imagination Library of Charles County program. As of July 2025, the program has officially mailed over 100,000 free books to children under five in Charles County.
Launched in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association (SMRLA), the program provides high-quality, age-appropriate books to local children every month, fostering a lifelong love of reading and early learning.
“This milestone is a testament to the incredible support from our community and the unwavering belief in the power of books to shape young minds,” said KennethWayne Thompson, Executive Director of Charles County Public Library. “The Imagination Library is a shining example of how CCPL creates opportunities for our community to engage, discover, and learn…one story at a time.”
This achievement supports CCPL’s vision to be a trusted Charles County anchor that enhances lives and supports our communities, and aligns with the library’s strategic priority to increase awareness and access to meaningful early literacy programs that enrich and empower residents of all ages.
Since its launch, the Imagination Library of Charles County has enrolled over 5,400 children and mailed over 105,000 books. It continues to grow thanks to the generous support of the Citizens for the Charles County Public Library (C4CCPL) and donations from local businesses, organizations, and individuals.
For more information about the Imagination Library of Charles County, register an eligible child, or to support this beloved program, visit https://ccplonline.org/imagination-library/ today.
About Charles County Public Library
The Charles County Public Library creates opportunities for our community to engage, discover, and learn. CCPL consists of four library branches, a Mobile Library, the Discovery Lab, a 24-Hour Library Kiosk at the Nanjemoy Community Center, and a location inside the Charles County Detention Center. CCPL has over 80 full- and part-time employees. Our branches house over 200,000 volumes of printed materials, audiobooks, films, and other documents. We also have an online branch at www.ccplonline.org, where we regularly add new resources. Currently, over 75,000 county residents hold library cards, and this number continues to grow daily.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
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 has gifted well over 150 million free books in Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Imagination Library mails more than 1.8 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring them to dream. The impact of the program has been widely researched, and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
About the Citizens for the Charles County Public Library, Inc. (C4CCPL)
Citizens for the Charles County Public Library, Inc. (C4CCPL) is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and support for the Charles County Public Library system. With community support, they help the library in many of its endeavors. C4CCPL sponsors activities, raises funds, and promotes the library as a cultural, educational, informational, and recreational asset to Southern Maryland. The funds raised through their activities help supplement the library’s budget by purchasing items not included in Charles County’s operating budget.
