Howe Library: “Journeys & Stories: A Passport to Memory” & Saluda County Library: “Sounds and Stories of Remembrance” selected 2026 winners of the Stephen T. Riedner Grant for Life Enhancing Library Programs for People Living with Dementia
“The Howe Library is honored to be chosen to receive the Stephen T. Riedner Grant for Life Enhancing Library Programs for People Living with Dementia. With this grant, we are excited to bring Journeys & Stories: A Passport to Memory to life — a multi-session program developed in collaboration with the Dartmouth Health Geriatric Center of Excellence. This initiative reflects our belief that libraries can create meaningful spaces where individuals of all abilities feel welcomed, valued, and empowered to share their stories. By focusing on sensory engagement and emotional memory rather than factual recall, our program hopes to create opportunities for connection, joy, and self-expression for our community in a supportive and familiar environment.” – Sam Milnes on behalf of Howe Library
“RUSA congratulates the Howe Library for Journeys & Stories: A Passport to Memory, a multi-session program developed with the Dartmouth Health Geriatric Center of Excellence. Grounded in the values the Riedner Grant honors, the Howe Library fosters dignity, connection, and self-expression for community members living with dementia.” – Award Committee statement
The Howe Library looks forward to offering Journeys & Stories: A Passport to Memory, a thoughtfully designed “travel series,” where participants will symbolically journey to places such as the Grand Canyon, New York City, coastal Maine, and beyond, using books, imagery, video, and conversations to spark emotional memory and personal storytelling. Each participant will receive a personal “passport” to use throughout the five-session series. At the start of each session, participants will “travel” to a new destination — marking their journey with a passport stamp.
Sessions will incorporate shared readings of accessible materials curated by library staff such as travel writing excerpts, poetry, and large-print photo books, paired with calming visual experiences like slow-paced videos or slideshows. Guided discussion prompts will encourage participants to reflect on what they’ve experienced in the session and in their life. To further support self-expression, each session will include an optional creative reflection component, where participants can write a word or phrase, draw, color, or select images that represent their thoughts and feelings within their passports. Care partners will be encouraged to participate alongside their loved ones, fostering shared moments of connection and understanding while creating new memories together.
The program will be facilitated jointly by library staff and trained professionals from the Dartmouth Geriatric Center of Excellence, ensuring that each session reflects best practices in dementia care and inclusive programming. The Howe is grateful for this amazing partnership and look forward to strengthening our connection and building a replicable model for future programming within our community. Ultimately, the program will help further position the library as a trusted, inclusive community hub where individuals living with dementia feel welcomed, valued, and empowered to share their stories.
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“The Saluda County Library is honored to receive the RUSA – Stephen T. Riedner Grant for Life Enriching Library Programs for People Living with Dementia. This award will allow us to launch Sounds and Stories of Remembrance, a new outreach initiative bringing live, familiar era music directly to our community members living with dementia, both in our local nursing home and at an accessible community event venue. In addition to these interactive programs, we will be adding circulating memory kits for families and care givers to check out, offering meaningful tools for connection and reminiscence at home. We are deeply grateful for this opportunity, which will help foster joy, dignity and engagement across our rural area.”. – Saluda County Library
“The RUSA Achievement Awards Committee congratulates Saluda County Library for Sounds and Stories of Remembrance, an outreach initiative bringing live music and circulating memory kits to individuals living with dementia. By meeting patrons where they are and honoring their dignity, Saluda County Library exemplifies the vision Stephen T. Riedner inspired..” – Award Committee statement
The Saluda County Library will launch a new outreach initiative serving residents with dementia by bringing programs directly into the community. The project will include four interactive programs throughout the year—two held at a rented community venue (The Mill on Main) and at a local nursing home. Each program will feature a local musician, Chris Reed, performing music from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s to encourage engagement, singing, and social interaction.
Grant funds will be used to hire the musician for all four programs, rent a community venue for two events, and purchase circulating memory kits from MEternally. These kits will include books, DVDs, and activity cards designed to support reminiscence and literacy and will be made available for checkout to extend the program’s impact beyond events.
The RUSA Achievement Awards and Grants selection committee was chaired by Rachel Drake.
Stephen T. Riedner Grant for Life Enhancing Library Programs for People Living with Dementia presents two grants of $2,500 each and a citation to two libraries to support the development of services and programming to directly serve those living with dementia.