Once again we are faced with a national tragedy that affects the safety and enhances the fears of everyone, with another mass shooting, this time at a Texas elementary school. It’s just too hard to deal with, especially coming just after another mass shooting at a Buffalo, NY grocery store. There is no end in sight to these events, regardless of what our legislators do at the national and state levels. The police response is one solution, but as we have seen in Texas, it’s not a perfect solution.
Therefore, when it comes to our safety and security at public-access buildings, like our schools, stores, and libraries, it is up to the employees and their leaders to respond, improvise, adapt, and do all they can to protect themselves and the people inside.
There are specific lessons to be learned, by library leaders and staffers, from the Uvalde tragedy, that they can directly apply to help deny, deter, delay, and stop an armed attacker during the rare possibility of an active shooter event. There are important steps to take before an attack (look for signs of information leakage by a potential attacker; protect the facility with better access control); during an attack (Run-Hide-Fight); and after an attack (initiate traumatic stress debriefings).
Dr. Steve Albrecht will talk about all three of these areas and give an in-depth look at what actually takes place during the structured debriefing process following a highly traumatic event. The more you know about that process, the better you can help yourself and your colleagues heal if it ever happens at your facility.
This 60-minute training webinar is presented by Library 2.0 and hosted by ALA author and library service, safety, and security expert, Dr. Steve Albrecht.
About the Speaker
DR. STEVE ALBRECHT. Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, security, and supervision. His programs are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace with all types of patrons. In 2015, the ALA published his book, Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities. He is currently writing the sequel, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, for Rowman & Littlefield. Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.A. in English, and a B.S. in Psychology. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment. He has written 24 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives with six dogs, two cats, and three chickens. (Not all in the same room, of course.)
