Sep 21, 2026 - News
Meet Romi, Mesa's library robot
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He came up to me to say hi. Photo: Gitanjali Poonia/Axios
The country's first library robot helper lives at Mesa Gateway Library, and he is very cute!
Why it matters: Romi is part tour guide, part selfie station and easily the library's most futuristic helper.
How it works: Romi can greet visitors in eight languages and lead them to different parts of the library.
- His main job is way-finding, but developers are exploring additional features.
- You can touch the screen on his belly to look up books.
Zoom out: Gateway won the 2026 Public Library of the Year award for bringing people together through welcoming spaces and an innovative design.
The bottom line: Romi isn't replacing the librarians, but he may be the only employee who will escort you to a bookshelf and take a selfie afterward.