08/25/2026
She was both larger than life and down to earth, and likely the greatest ambassador ever of her native Appalachia. Dolly Parton died today at age 80, but her legacy as a songwriter, vocalist, instrumentalist, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist will live on. Since the debut of her Imagination Library initiative in 1995, which initially served the children of her home county in Tennessee, this book giveaway program has distributed more than 300 million titles to children across all 50 states, plus U.S. territories and five countries. (Stay tuned for news of further expansion.) The collection of the Jefferson Parish Library includes Miss Dolly's many recordings, biographies, cookbooks, movies, concert videos, fashion and beauty tips, and other books written about a Nashville legend whose creative output will forever sparkle like a rhinestone galaxy: https://shorturl.at/0hlnb
