It’s been a while since Donna Dunlop worked in a town library, but it hasn’t taken her long to get her footing back behind the reference desk.

Dunlop took over as the new Hopkinton Town library director on Sept. 1, after spending 10 years working for the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

The Hopkinton resident knows her new employer well, as she served on the library’s board leading up to her hiring. Dunlop said things have changed since she last served in a town library.

“I have been working with the public in various ways, but there’s nothing like being on a reference desk again and answering questions,” she said. “There’s been a lot that has changed technologically. People are using technology like they never have before.”

Serving on the board in Hopkinton has given Dunlop a view that most directors don’t have entering the position.

“I have an inside view of what the reality of the budget-building process is that someone who hasn’t been on the board wouldn’t have,” she said. “Living in the community has helped as well.”

Dunlop earned her master’s degree from Rutgers University and served as the art librarian during her time there. She began working for private organizations prior to making the move to New Hampshire 14 years ago.

One thing Dunlop is looking forward to is expanding the relationship the library has with the town’s residents.

“The people in this community are really dedicated to the library, and it’s gratifying to have people come in and use it and respect it,” said Dunlop. “I want to develop even more of an ongoing dialogue with library users and non library users on what we can do to make it even better.”

While Dunlop said her first weeks as director went smoothly, it has been challenging getting back into library work again.

“Coming back into the library, the learning curve was, and still is, pretty steep,” she said. “It’s been an interesting challenge to be learning things again at this point in my career.”

Dunlop is also looking forward to expanding the programming at the library and getting a new audience.

“We have wonderful regular visitors, but I want to reach beyond the usual suspects,” she said.

Although she steered herself onto a different career path, Dunlop said she knows she made the right decision.

“It’s hard for me to think of an aspect of the job that I don’t like. Just being in this building and surrounded by books is a great thing,” Dunlop said. “Just to complement that is having the building filled with people who love the library and benefit from it. That’s a real pleasure.”

Among the tasks in the immediate future for Dunlop will be planning the library’s 10th anniversary, an event to be held throughout October, including a family event of music and more on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. For a schedule of 10th anniversary events, visit www.hopkintontownlibrary.org.