Georgette Plourde remembers when she was a young girl, and she and her mother would walk down Allenstown’s Main Street to check on the construction of the town’s new library.

Now, more than half a century later, Plourde is finishing up a 24-year career in the library, a place she’s always loved.

“It’s been part of my life for so long,” said Plourde, who lives on nearby School Street and often walks to work. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it here. I’ve loved every year.”

Plourde’s father, who was a clerk in a local mill, was instrumental in getting the library built to replace its former location farther south on Main Street. She said she was a regular visitor to the library growing up, and never expected she’d someday have a career there.

But Plourde said she took took the job well from her first day.

“When I get up in the morning, it’s not a chore to go to the library,” she said. “I always love being here.”

Plourde said she hates to leave the library after so many years, but said she welcomes fresh ideas a new librarian may offer.

“I guess when you’ve been here for as long as I have, sometimes you need some new blood,” she said.

Plourde said she is looking forward to having more free time to spend with her two young granddaughters. She said the most important aspect of a librarian’s job hasn’t changed much in the last 24 years.

“You have to be a people person,” she said. “If someone comes in, maybe you can tell them a few words that can make them feel better.” An open house celebrating Plourde’s career is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 9, at, the library.