Budget cuts mean some Missouri kids won’t get free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library; St. Louis Public Library, May 21, 2026

 Rebecca Thiele , St. Louis Public Library; Budget cuts mean some Missouri kids won’t get free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

"The state will no longer be able to send all Missouri children free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The program set up by the famous country artist mails age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5.

Missouri lawmakers cut the Imagination Library’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year by more than half, from about $6 million to $2 million.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it won’t have the money to enroll new children in the program after next month. The department said kids who are enrolled now will continue to receive books as funding allows.

Education department officials said they could potentially partner with local programs or private donors to revive the Imagination Library."

UM System announces plan to adopt open educational resources; Missourian, June 21, 2017

Gabriela Velasquez, Missourian; UM System announces plan to adopt open educational resources

"Open educational resources are published with open access copyrights, are free for students and can be distributed and used for little to no cost. Instructors also can write and add chapters to tailor textbooks to specific courses. They are accessed online, usually as PDFs, and can be revised and updated fairly quickly, according to previous Missourian reporting.

The UM System and MU will partner with OpenStax and with faculty members to develop open educational resources for students."