ENTERPRISE — Denine Rautenstrauch has been the face of the Enterprise Library for 22 years. Now, she is looking forward to being a patron at the library, becoming one of the people she says she will miss the most about the job she loved for more than two decades.

She describes the library as “the living room of the community. It’s for them. It’s theirs. They love it. They have ownership in it.”

Rautenstrauch, who said she pretty much always wanted to be a librarian, was honored for her service and dedication at a retirement party on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the Enterprise Library.

About 80 members of the community attended to wish her well in retirement and share memories of their experiences with her as their community librarian.

Gail and Paul Pelley, regular patrons of the library, said Rautenstrauch was a great librarian and they are grateful she has a chance to retire.

“She’ll be missed. She is so personable and willing to help. She made us feel like family,” Gail Pelley said.

The Pelleys mentioned the many programs available to patrons of the library, and how meaningful those programs are to the community.

Debbie Hadden, who was at the library with her two grandchildren, said Rautenstrauch’s retirement is “bittersweet. She deserves a good retirement.”

Hadden had Rautenstrauch as a student and has known her for “a really long time.”

She said her grandchildren know Rautenstrauch as “Miss Denine,” and when Hadden told them Rautenstrauch was retiring, they said, “No, she can’t leave!” Hadden’s grandchildren, Kora Jackson, 9, and her brother, Cain, 4, are regulars at the library.

Rautenstrauch said she is leaving “at the top of my game. Not waiting until I’m burned out. I did everything I could do.”

Those accomplishments included putting in an elevator and receiving more than $496,000 in grant funding. In addition to those accomplishments, she said she is proud of the library’s “rockin’ summer reading program” and mentioned the library’s 100th anniversary in 2014.

“It was awesome and great fun,” she said. The library has been “a huge part of my life, and it’s been an honor (to be its librarian).”

The years Rautenstrauch was librarian saw many changes: the closing of the county library and the increase in usage of e-books and audiobooks. Physical items — books — are also up in patron usage. She said circulation is up almost every month. When the county library closed, usage went up at the city library.

“Susan (Polumsky, the county librarian) was doing a lot of early childhood education,” said Rautenstrauch. The city library had to make more room for children’s books and materials, she explained. “It was dramatic,” she said. “Nothing is going down (in circulation).”

Rautenstrauch is a fifth-generation Wallowa Countian, with no plans to go anywhere. Her husband, Rich, “loves it here as much as I do,” she said.

The new librarian, Liz Cedarbrook, had the opportunity to train with Rautenstrauch.

“Nothing’s going to change,” Rautenstrauch said. “All the services will be here. Liz and I were able to train (together). It’ll be fun for me to be a library user and not have that (responsibility) all on my shoulders.”

As far as her plans for retirement? Well, as she puts it, “they’re wide open.” But any plans are sure to include regular trips to the library.