Ulrike Unterthurner is retiring after 32 years as director of the Dornbirn City Library.
Dornbirn. Ulrike Unterthurner had her last working day on Friday – in future she will come to the Dornbirn City Library as a visitor. In the last three decades she has accompanied entire generations on their path to reading pleasure and was a kind of institution for library visitors. For Ulrike Unterthurner it is a sad farewell: “It was simply my dream job. But I’ll be 64 this year and at some point it’s time to go.” Incidentally, in the case of Ulrike Unterthurner, “walking” is to be taken literally – she packs her backpack, tent and sleeping bag and sets off on a 2,000-kilometer hike. “I do the Grande Randonnée 34 and follow the customs officers’ path from Mont Saint Michel to Saint Nazaire,” reveals Ulrike Unterthurner. She has planned around three and a half months for the famous long-distance hiking trail through Brittany and would like to gain some distance from active professional life.
Ulrike Unterthurner was also far away when she made the decision 32 years ago to take over the management of the public library in Dornbirn – namely on a world tour in Australia. After several years as an assistant at the University of Innsbruck, the studied historian was looking for new professional challenges. She found out more by accident that a manager was being sought for the new public library in Dornbirn. “When I was appointed manager in April 1991, the conversion work in the Stiegervilla was still in full swing. We then opened the new library in November,” remembers Ulrike Unterthurner. Also on board was Guntram Frick, who took over the management of the AK library in Bludenz five years ago. “We were a great team and we focused on people right from the start. I always wanted a friendly library with genuine service, where people were treated kindly,” says Ulrike Unterthurner. Alongside her two children, Max and Antonia – now 28 and 24 years old – she put all her passion into the library. “My children also loved the library and became real library children,” says Ulrike Unterthurner.
In addition to books, films, music and magazines were soon offered for hire, the first events were held and the city library increasingly became a meeting point. Ulrike Unterthurner was always enthusiastic about new ideas and brought many innovations to Dornbirn. “We were always at least one step ahead and were still working with IT before Vienna. We also played a pioneering role in founding the Dornbirn Library Association in 1995,” remembers Ulrike Unterthurner. She was constantly looking for an exchange with people and got inspiration from everywhere. The Vorarlberg Environment Week, initiated by Ingrid Benedikt, also had its origins in the Dornbirn public library. The success is reflected in the numbers – the Dornbirn library has always been the absolute leader in the Austrian library ranking in terms of utilization and borrowings.
At some point the Stiegervilla became too small and so in 2014 the decision was made to build a new building. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in March 2018 and on January 28, 2020 the new Dornbirn City Library was officially opened. The striking new building costing 6.4 million euros was financed by the Dornbirner Sparkasse on the occasion of its 150th anniversary. Together with her committed team, Ulrike Unterthurner was able to implement numerous innovations here as well. “What really pleases me is that the many concepts and considerations have borne fruit and that the various areas in the new library are being used as we had planned,” summarizes Ulrike Unterthurner. Above all, it was possible to anchor the important role of the library as a low-threshold educational institution in the public perception.
Library in good hands
The future director of the Dornbirn City Library will also be able to build on this. “Johanna Baumgartner is my absolute dream candidate. I am very happy about it and I wish her that she has as much fun as I do and that working with the great team can be an enrichment,” emphasizes Ulrike Unterthurner. Although she knows that “her” city library is in good hands, saying goodbye is difficult. “I enjoyed the most the personal encounters, I was able to get to know so many great people over the years. That’s what I’ll miss the most – but those are also the treasures I’ll take with me.”
