Existing law establishes the California State Library as a state government agency under the control of an executive, who is required to be a technically trained librarian and known as the “State Librarian.” Existing law requires the State Librarian, among other duties, to give advisory, consultive, and technical assistance to librarians and library authorities in public libraries and to assist all other authorities, state and local, in assuming their full responsibility for library service.

Existing law requires the State Librarian to establish the Reading Initiative Program with funds appropriated for that purpose and with funds received from private sources, and requires the State Librarian to administer the program, as provided. Existing law requires the State Librarian, in administering the program, to, among other things, develop a list of recommended books in consultation with various groups, including, but not limited to, teachers, librarians, parents, writers, publishers, and employees of the State Department of Education. Existing law requires the recommended books to supplement the state-recommended English/language arts curriculum framework and to include recreational reading selections for children.

This bill would establish the Statewide Imagination Library Program under the administration of the State Librarian for purposes of developing, implementing, promoting, and fostering a comprehensive statewide initiative for encouraging preschool children to develop a love of reading and learning. The bill would create and continuously appropriate the Imagination Library of California Fund for purposes of the program, as provided, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require moneys from the fund to be used to provide age-appropriate books on a monthly basis, at home, to each child registered in the program, from birth to their 5th birthday, inclusive, at no cost to families, through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The bill would require moneys from the fund to be allocated to qualified local entities that agree to a dollar-for-dollar match for purposes of the program, unless waived by the State Librarian, as provided.

This bill would require the State Librarian to coordinate with a nonprofit entity, as specified, that is organized solely to promote and encourage reading by the children of the state, for purposes of implementing the bill’s provisions, and would require the State Librarian to do certain things, including, among other things, promote the statewide development of local Dolly Parton Imagination Library programs, recruit volunteers to assist in the development, promotion, and coordination of the programs, administer the local match requirement, and coordinate the collection and remittance of local program costs for books and mailing.

This bill would require the State Librarian, by January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, to report to the Legislature on the implementation of the program, as specified.

This bill would authorize the California State Library to promulgate regulations as may be needed for the administration of the program.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.