Good people come and go in a vibrant metropolitan area -- something Pittsburgh aspires to be. So our attitude to the announced future departure of Herb Elish is a mixture of gratitude and regret.

The people of Pittsburgh owe a lot to this talented man, who came to the region when he was already in his 50s but achieved more in his relatively few years of residence than many locals do in a lifetime. Now 70, he is retiring as director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to go back to his native New York.

Indeed, he is one part of a public-service power couple who have done Pittsburgh proud in various ways; his wife, Eloise Hirsh, is a former city planning director who has remained active in civic affairs. Between the efforts of these special people, the quality of Pittsburgh life has been noticeably improved.

You have only to look at the Carnegie Library and see the reinvigoration of this great institution to see what Mr. Elish has achieved. He seemed a daring choice when he was appointed in late 1998 to the Carnegie Library job because his previous experience was in private industry and the public sector.

Although not a librarian, he revealed himself as a forward-thinking manager who had a firm grasp of what library patrons might need. Moreover, his business sense was well-suited to redefining the Carnegie Library's mission and tapping private and public funds to make it happen. Under his stewardship, the Main Library and several old branches have been dramatically improved to make them more user-friendly.

This is a work in progress, with $25 million raised for a project that will eventually cost $60 million. Mr. Elish is not leaving immediately, but it is up to the Carnegie Library board to find someone as dynamic to carry this plan forward. Good luck to Mr. Elish and his wife; they will be hard to replace.