Reading Programs

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DPIL) is a book gifting program that mails books to children from birth to age five. Each month, the Imagination Library mails a high-quality, age-appropriate book to all registered children, addressed to them, at no cost to the child's family. See this year's book list (PDF).

DPIL is supported by local program partner Westminster Rotary Club.

How to participate:

  • Enroll your child online, or in person in the Children's Room at College Hill or Irving Street.
  • In 6 to 8 weeks your child will receive their first book.
  • Each month your child will receive a new book until age 5.
  • When your child turns 5, they will receive their final book and graduate for the program.

Paws to Read

What are furry, have four legs, and love to listen to kids read? Therapy dogs! Reading with therapy dogs helps kids gain confidence. Bring your own book or choose one at the library. Sign up for a 15-minute session when you arrive. Ages: 5 to 12

  • College Hill, Mondays at 4 pm.
  • Irving Street, second Saturdays, 2 pm.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

1,000 Books Before KindergartenCongratulations! You are about to embark on a fantastic, lifelong journey with your child.

Together you will read 1,000 books before kindergarten. By committing to this journey, you will help your child gain pre-literacy skills that will prepare them for reading throughout their life. Read more about this national program.

Note to Current WPL 1,000 Books Participants

We are updating how you track your child's reading progress towards 1000 Books Before Kindergarten! We hope using Beanstack for online tracking and having a simpler reading log will improve your experience. Library staff can help you easily import your progress into Beanstack. 

Here's how it works:

  1. Sign up for a Beanstack account with Westminster Public Library and enroll your child in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge. A Beanstack Tracker app is also available for iOS and Android.
  2. Beginning April 27, 2024, come to the Children's Desk at either library to receive your Welcome Packet and first reading log.
  3. As you read, fill in a circle on the reading log for each book you read together.
  4. Track books on Beanstack in whichever way works best for you:
    1. Enter the book title manually online or through the app if you would like to keep a record of the books you read. Using the app, you can also simply scan the book's ISBN.
    2. Enter all 100 books at once when you complete a reading log. Simply ignore the Title/Author and enter that you read a book 100 times.
    3. Bring your completed reading log to the library and have staff update your Beanstack account for you
  5. Each time you finish 100 books, come into the library for your next reading log and receive a sticker to track your progress.
  6. When you complete all ten reading logs and reach 1,000 books, come to the Children's Desk and tell us that you finished 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten - we have a special gift from the library for your child!

We Love Book Clubs!

Learn about Westminster book clubs.