Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library turns 30 [Video]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — What started as an idea, turned into the birth of innovation, community and inspiration. Thirty years ago, Dolly Parton started her Imagination Library in Sevier County with a dream to help children fall in love with books.

And that was the case for Jenn Webb. Memories in book form hold a special place in her heart and top shelf in her office.

“I’ve got the original ‘Little Engine That Could’, it’s the first one they put out in 1995,” Webb said. “Then I’ve got all kinds of other books like ‘Rover’s Book of Cute Things to Touch.'”

The collection of titles has a back story.

As a little girl, Webb could always count on a book from her hometown’s most famous resident showing up in her mailbox every month.

“When you are little, you don’t necessarily understand fame, but …