I know its been an awfully long time since I made an appearance round here, but I finally had something that inspired me.

Today our library lost one of its most faithful servants. No, he didn't pass away or anything tragic like that. He simply received a better (and entirely different type of) offer. After 16 years of unflagging commitment to the public and to the people with whom he worked, my boss has moved on to what we all hope are bigger and better things.*

It would be impossible to overstate the impact of the man (hereafter affectionately referred to as Lumbergh, for all you Office Space fans out there) on the people that he supervised. I have never met someone with the capacity to handle crises, push forward big projects, put out intrastaff fires and absorb criticism/complaint, yet at the same time raise three daughters and serve in an extremely demanding military officer position, all the while looking as relaxed, enraptured and carefree as a kid in a candy store.

Lumbergh epitomizes what I seek in a boss. He did not direct and command, so much as he coached and supported. I can't imagine an individual inspiring more positive energy amongst his colleagues in the workplace. And I don't mean necessarily a "go get 'em" kind of enthusiasm, although that was part of it. I mean more of a cozy, comfortable "everything will work out fine; you're doing great" type of emotional security that is invaluable for morale and extremely difficult to achieve, much less maintain. I learned as much about managing interpersonal relations from Lumbergh in five short months than I have from anyone else in my entire lifetime.

It is a gross understatement to say that Lumbergh will be missed. He was a great boss. He is a great friend. Farewell, Lumbergh. Your library loves you.

* Lest you wonder what could be bigger and/or better than public librarianship, I can only divulge that the new position involves intelligence on a national security level.