After eight years as director of the Rodgers Memorial Library, Linda Pilla’s final day on the job was anything but an ordinary day at work.
On Friday, Sept. 25, the library became the site of an all-day celebration as friends, family members, library trustees, past and present staff members, Hudson Town Hall employees, Friends of the Library members and others stopped by to wish Pilla well in retirement.
There were plenty of hugs, gifts, memories and, fittingly for a celebration at a library, plenty of stories.
There were also three cakes and a catered lunch.
Rather than one formal retirement ceremony, Pilla’s final day unfolded as a steady stream of people coming through the library to say goodbye and thank her for her years of service to the community.
Among those stopping in throughout the day were members of the Library Board of Trustees, current and former library employees, members of the Friends of the Library and town employees who had worked with Pilla over the years.
The gathering also gave former library staff members an opportunity to return to Rodgers and reconnect with Pilla and their former colleagues.
For current staff members, the day offered a chance to celebrate a longtime leader and colleague. For library trustees and Friends of the Library members, it was an opportunity to recognize Pilla’s role in helping guide the library and its services to the Hudson community.
Pilla’s tenure included a number of changes at Rodgers Memorial Library, including the library’s 2022 addition to the GMILCS consortium, which gave Rodgers patrons access to a much larger shared collection of library materials and digital resources.
More recently, Pilla worked with the Library Board of Trustees, staff and Hudson residents on the library’s 2026-2029 Strategic Plan, helping guide the process of identifying the community’s needs and priorities for the years ahead.
But on Friday, the focus was less on the business of running a public library and more on the people Pilla had come to know during her years in Hudson.
The three cakes, gifts and steady parade of visitors made it clear that Pilla’s departure was being marked by people from many different parts of the community.
At one point during her tenure, Pilla summed up her feelings about serving Hudson by saying, “This town, this place, Hudson – what a great community.”
After years of welcoming people through the doors of Rodgers Memorial Library, Pilla spent her final workday being welcomed by the many people who came through those same doors to wish her well in the next chapter.
