2025 PhD Research: Measuring the Impact of the Imagination Library Worldwide
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is backed by a growing body of evidence demonstrating the positive impact of shared book reading on children’s early literacy development.
United Way Australia is proud to lead global research into the Imagination Library and hosts the world’s largest dataset on shared book reading. Leading this work is our Head of Research, Dr Claire Galea, who completed her PhD in 2025 in partnership with Macquarie University. Her research, which began in Tamworth, NSW, focused on the outcomes of shared book-reading and the Imagination Library, and expanded into a global study across all five countries where the program is delivered: Australia, the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
To learn more about the research methodology, or explore the complete findings visit United Way Australia’s Research and Reports.
If you would like a summary of the key international research findings per country visit:
