Filippos Tsimpoglou Death, Obituary – Fillipos served as the director of the University of Cyprus Library and the National Library of Greece before being appointed to his current position. Not only did he accomplish a great deal during his time in both of these positions, but he also fostered an atmosphere in which those around him were motivated to improve and thrive, which contributed significantly to his legacy in each of these roles.
A leader who was both visionary and composed, who served as a guide to a great number of people, and who was someone who persistently held the belief that working together was the most effective way to move forward. It was thanks to Filillipos’s effortless work and constant pursuit of new opportunities that Greece and Cyprus were able to become more digitalized and open to new ideas.
Filippos was an advocate for open science, and he was a significant contributor to Cyprus’s membership in OpenAIRE. He started from scratch and built a team that is now steadily and successfully implementing open science across the country. Despite the fact that the new Library was not yet ready and he was completely preoccupied with the transfer, Filippos, who is a big supporter of OpenAIRE, offered the National Library as a venue for the Open Science Fair 2017 and helped in its organization. He did this despite the fact that the new Library was not yet ready.
Those who had the privilege of working and socializing with Fillipos described him as a shining example of positivity and hard work. He is deeply thoughtful, has innovative ideas, is a delight to be around, and is enthusiastic about both the work he does and the things he believes in. Always having a positive outlook on people, always having respect for others, and always thinking about what else you can accomplish is essential. During our most recent trip to Cyprus in November, We witnessed the country’s respect for him (from junior librarians, to rectors, and the ministry), the impact he had on the community, and his humble, yet joyful acceptance and reciprocation of that respect. I also witnessed the impact he had on the community.