23 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 289 2016 leading a long line of waiting students up the library steps and into the building. Starbucks offered coffee samples and treats, and the library staff were in place, ready to resume normal operations. At the lobby desk where his coworker had been shot less than 36 hours earlier, Greg, a security staff member, greeted the incoming students. It was “a powerful thing. Seeing the emotional faces of those gathering around, the strong police presence throughout the day, and the many students who bravely reentered the building for the first time, some even stopping to thank us and shake our hands, was very moving.” Supporting the Libraries’ Staff Counseling for library staff and student workers was a vital step in the recovery process within the library. Michelle was part of the team of library managers who assembled to coordinate plans after the shooting. She had reached out to the University Counseling Center and the Employee Assistance Program to arrange for counseling sessions for staff and student workers within the libraries, and counselors were available around the clock. Michelle required all overnight staff to attend, even though a few were reluctant. Some sessions lasted only a few minutes, while others took over an hour. Michelle encouraged library staff to seek additional counseling, cautioning them to not try to tough it out. Reactions to the shooting varied widely. Two staff members were thinking of submitting their resignations. Later they changed their minds, perhaps due to the support that was provided. Others seemed to take it in stride. A staff member who had been on-site that night said, “[We] just wanted to move on with life without being reminded by people who were amazed that we would come back into the building or who wanted to talk about it and relive it over and over every family member and friend and stranger that you would run into in the grocery store would want to talk about that night.”
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