It Takes a Village: Dungog’s Journey with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Welcome to Dungog in Lower Hunter, NSW. A town full of community cheer, where the locals always say g’day.
The unofficial headquarters of the Dungog Early Literacy Group is ‘Books and More.’ The second-hand bookshop is beaming with an array of used books — creatively crafted in genre-specific sections — and light-hearted chatter from local volunteers, always happy to talk about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
What started as a heart-led passion for children’s literacy quickly grew into a team of six committee members, a shopfront, ten volunteers, and a long list of regular sponsors.
Chairperson Anne Higgins shares her gratitude for the program and the growth it continues to have across the community. In the early days, there were four committee members — one of whom heard about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and brought the idea to the group. They embarked on research about the initiative and put plans in place to get the ball rolling in Dungog.
Pictured above are Carol Skafte-Zauss, Anne Higgins, Barbara Fisher, Donna Woodlands, Kerry Skafte and Kylie Collins.
‘In the beginning, we fundraised with a pop-up second-hand book shop held two days a month in the Dungog CWA Hall,’ Anne shared.
Fast forward to today, and they have a dedicated shop for fundraising and a team of Dolly Helpers! The space has been generously provided by Dungog local, Tracey Norman, who runs a business in the town.
When Carol Skafte-Zauss, manager of ‘Books and More, was asked about the reason behind their success, she responded:
‘We work with the strengths of our volunteers; that’s how we have such a cohesive team. If someone has an interest in a certain area, we utilise that. One committee member is good with numbers and does a great job managing the finances in the shop. We have a volunteer who likes chatting to people, so she approaches local businesses for donations.’
The Dungog Early Literacy Group has gone above and beyond with their innovative approach to sponsorship. Fundraising efforts have included financial support from local community organisations, an annual donation from the Dungog Shire Council, four local businesses that have become annual sponsors, over 30 individual sponsors, and funds raised through shop sales.
One highlight is their successful Mother’s Day raffle, with all the prizes generously donated by the community.
Their most recent initiative is The Baby Book Club, held bi-monthly in the dedicated children’s section of Dungog Library. It was launched by one of the committee members whose child receives books from the Imagination Library each month.
Since the launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Dungog in May 2024, the Dungog Early Literacy Group has enrolled 100 babies to date.
As the saying goes, it takes a village— and the Dungog Early Literacy Group has certainly proved that to be true.
Your praises continue to be sung, Dungog. Well done!
Measuring the impact of the Imagination Library
Discover the latest research from the world’s largest database on shared book-reading and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, showing how the program is helping children around the world develop strong early literacy skills:
