Imagination Library moves closer

About 20 children, their mothers, aunts and grandmothers enjoyed story time at the Argie cooper public library where the children's librarian read books out loud and later told of some progress toward developing the Imagination Library inspired by Dolly Parton.

Story time is held once or twice a month at Argie Cooper Public Library where children's librarian Margaret Reed gives children a book to color with crayons provided by the library, Reed explained.

"And we give away candy," she said, adding with a smile, "We sweeten them up, but most of them here, we don't have to sweeten up. They're sweet enough."

The next story time in 10 a.m. Nov. 16. It's a free service provided by the library.

Meanwhile, Friends of the Library are organizing a morning coffee gathering at the Shelbyville, Bedford County Chamber of Commerce building on South Cannon Boulevard near the flood gates. It's part of a continuing effort to raise awareness and financial support for the Imagination Library.

Several years ago, country music superstar Dolly Parton started an Imagination Library in her hometown of Sevierville. She lives in Brentwood now. The program provides one book per month to children from birth until age 5.

Gov. Phil Bredesen took the program statewide with help from the State Legislature, so now in 75 Tennessee counties, the state matches money raised locally from private groups, businesses and local government so each child enrolled will have a book each month.

Librarians and their friends have said reading to a young child builds interest in the ability to read and helps children when they start school.

A steering committee of advocates for the program has made a commitment to raise $12,000 by the end of the year so that will be matched by the governor's Books From Birth program. In conjunction with that, the steering committee forwarded a resolution to the county commission and won support from commissioners who've now promised to help find replacement sources of funding if an original source can't continue.

An announcement on when the steering committee's coffee will be held will be announced.