Library leaps into new year with literary events

Since 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (imaginationlibrary.com) has provided free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children ages 0-5 regardless of their family’s income. The book gifting program began in Sevier County in Parton’s home state of Tennessee and has expanded to include more than 2,700 partners throughout the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.

Parton created the Imagination Library as a tribute to her late father. She said, “He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.”

Parton dedicated herself to inspiring children to read because, “…if you can read, you can teach yourself anything.” As of November 2023, the international program has gifted more than 224 million books.

In partnership with the Northern Nevada Reading Coalition (uwnns.org/ReadingCoalition), the Douglas County Public Library announced the local launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. A special reception is planned at the Minden branch, 1625 Library Lane, 4 p.m. Friday. Attendees will have an onsite opportunity to enroll their children in the program, and online registration is available at uwnns.org/DPIL.

This free event features guest speakers, family friendly activities, a read-aloud, and light refreshments. All are welcome.

Friends of the Library host Author Talk

Join author Clare Frank for a reading and signing of her book, “Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire,” 11 a.m. Jan. 27 at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center dining hall, 1329 Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville.

A review of Frank’s bio on her webpage, therealclarefrank.com, reveals that her firefighting career began at age 17 and entailed “handling fire and rescue emergencies and major disasters in both urban and rural settings.”  Over her thirty years in the fire service, Frank “earned a spot on an elite state command team, a bachelor’s in fire administration, a law degree, a master’s in creative writing, and several leadership awards.” She also served as “the first and only female Chief of Fire Protection” in the state of California.

Published in May 2023, “Burnt” details Frank’s fire service career and has received acclaim from The New York Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and more. Author and activist Erin Brockovich called Frank’s memoir an “…evocative account of life in the firehouse…a must-read.”

This event is sponsored by The Friends of the DCPL and is free and open to the public.

Winter Reading Challenge

Through Feb. 29, the library hosts an Adult Winter Reading Challenge for patrons age 18 and above. For every two books read, participants earn a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes that include gift baskets and a handmade quilt from the Carson Valley Quilt Guild (cvqg.com), and there’s no limit to the number of tickets one can earn.

“Nothing’s better than curling up with a good book in these chilly times,” reads the program description. “We challenge our community to read and log at least four books during the challenge.”

To register, create an account online at douglascountynv.beanstack.org/reader365. Anyone who has registered for a previous DCPL reading challenge can use their existing account. Registration forms are also available at the library.

Connect with the library on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, library.douglascountynv.gov.

For more information about these and other programs and special events offered through the library, call the Minden branch at 775-782-9841.

Amy Roby can be reached at ranchosroundup@hotmail.com.