5 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 289 2016 Shooting at Florida State University Libraries: The Act, Aftermath, and Response Julia Zimmerman, Dean of University Libraries, Florida State University Susannah C. Miller, Associate Dean for Administrative Services Shortly after midnight on November 20, 2014, a Florida State University (FSU) alumnus, Myron May, opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun at FSU’s Robert Manning Strozier Library, injuring two students and one staff member before the police shot and killed May. This article describes the events of that night, the aftermath, and the responses of the university, libraries, and students. We hope this will be helpful to others who want to prepare for the possibility of something like this happening in their libraries. Part 1: That Night Wednesday, November 19, 2014, had been unseasonably cold in Tallahassee. At midnight there were over 500 students in Strozier Library, Florida State University’s main library. Open 24/5, “Club Stroz,” as it is affectionately known, is situated at the north end of Landis Green in the midst of residence halls and classroom buildings. Strozier Library is FSU’s most popular late-night gathering place. On the early morning of November 20, with final exams just a few weeks away, Club Stroz was buzzing. Library security had become a priority at FSU’s libraries several years ago in the wake of a criminal incident—a sexual assault in Strozier’s stacks. A security force of four full-time staff, supported by student workers and public safety officers from the FSU Police Department (FSUPD), monitored visitors at a counter in the library’s lobby. There, visitors checked in, were quietly vetted, and then received a temporary swipe card for the nearby turnstiles. Members of the FSU community
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