FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Ilse Krick has been named the new Director of the Fairhope Public Library. Krick, a longtime library staff member, has served as interim director since Betty Suddeth’s retirement this past summer.

“I’m thrilled and very honored to be named director,” Krick said. “The new library is a phenomenal building, and there are so many new, exciting things that we can do here.”

Krick holds a master of library and information science degree, but she took a roundabout journey to the top position at the Fairhope library.

Born in Germany, Krick moved to the United States with her parents when she was 8 years old. Her father was in the military, so the family moved around a lot, but they visited Fairhope often over the years.

“My mother’s sister married a man from Fairhope. The first time we visited here was in 1957, and my parents fell in love with it,” Krick said. “When my dad retired in 1973, they moved here.”

Krick’s first career choice was nursing. She returned to Germany as a nurse during the Vietnam War-era, and while there, she met her husband, a doctor who was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. The couple married and later moved to California, where they lived for 23 years. Krick continued to work in nursing.

In 1993, after her husband’s death, Krick moved to Fairhope to be closer to family.

“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I didn’t want to work in medicine anymore,” Krick said. “I met Betty Suddeth, who offered me a job as a clerk at the library. I worked in Fairhope for a while and then at the Baldwin County Library Cooperative, and I really liked the work. I decided to go back to school to get a degree in library science.”

After graduating from Spring Hill College, Krick took a job in Mobile with a healthcare computer software company. A few years later, the company was sold, and Krick had a choice – move with the company to Louisville or take a severance package.

“I had wanted to complete my master’s in library science, but it was difficult to do that and work at the same time,” she said. “Then, when the company sold, it was as if it were supposed to happen that way. I took the severance package, went back to school at the University of Alabama, and completed my master’s degree in a year.”

Once again, Krick found herself looking for a job.

“I thought I might work in a medical library, but once again there was an opening at the Fairhope library, and Betty hired me again. So, here I am. The way it has all worked out has really been incredible.”

Krick said the Fairhope Public Library holds tremendous potential.

“We’re just at the beginning of what we can offer; we’re updating our non-fiction collection, adding some new programs through Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and we’re looking at other programs and services, including new book clubs, more computer classes, and more youth and teen services.”

A city like Fairhope deserves a first-class library, Krick said.

“Part of our new five-year plan is to gain the status of a Blue Ribbon Library, an award that indicates the library goes beyond basic services with extras that meet all the needs of the community. I think we have that potential, and hopefully we will reach that goal.”