On Tuesday, September 16, Hedberg Public Library staff welcomed back Kay Roethe, a retired HPL Reference Librarian, as part of Azura Memory Care and Assisted Living's MOSAIC Dreams initiative. This unique program fulfills heartfelt wishes--big or small, meaningful, or just plain fun--for its residents.
From Azura: MOSAIC Dreams is about more than just creating special moments — it’s about honoring who our residents are and celebrating what they can still do and enjoy. By focusing on strengths, passions, and meaningful experiences, we nurture independence, preserve dignity, and remind each person that their story continues to matter. These personalized dreams not only spark joy in the moment, but also foster confidence, connection, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Kay enjoys reminiscing about her time working at HPL and MOSAIC Dreams provided her the opportunity to reconnect with a job that she loved. During her visit, Kay and her assistant for the day, Bailey, were given a tour of the library, which has been remodeled since Kay's retirement. Programming Librarian Amy Christian demonstrated the HPL sorting machine (internally known as "Kermit"), and Kay had the opportunity to process items through the sorter and onto the conveyer belt to the different baskets for the library departments. Once that task was completed, the three went over to "shelf read" (an important part of stack maintenance that includes reading each call number in order to ensure that the books are properly shelved) the travel section and mystery section.
A small reception allowed time for Kay to reconnect with HPL staff that worked here during her tenure, as well as reminisce as she paged through a photo scrapbook from those years. Kay also selected some items for inclusion on the library's Staff Picks shelf for patrons to check out as part of Readers Advisory.
"It was very special to have Kay at the library," says Christian. "She shared memories of her role and responsibilities during her time here and we are honored to have played a small role in providing a meaningful experience to someone who gave so much to our community through her work at HPL."
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