35 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 289 — 2016 Believe me, this was the first time I was thankful for having a nondescript office with no windows! I was glad that we could offer some shelter and comfort to those kids. Lessons Learned Now, several months after the incident and after a campus task force reviewed the events of the day to make recommendations for the future,1 there are some key points worth sharing with other libraries: 1. Jerry Garcia once said that “the situation is the boss.” In an active shooter situation, that is especially true. What happens will evolve quickly and will be determined by the actions of the shooter(s) and police. As much as those of us in senior library administrative positions might like to think we’re in charge, we are not in situations like these. The police will take over, and they will not stop to ask questions until they know they have time to do that. 2. Whichever staff and/or student employees happen to be on duty will be put to the test, and they will end up handling the situation to the best of their abilities. They will be called on to respond, and we will have to rely on their good judgement in the chaos of the moment as well as the tedium of an extended event. 3. Students will come to the library to seek refuge. They seem to have an innate understanding that we care about them, and it was clear at UCLA that they trust us to help them. Library staff will end up being the people the students seek to provide comfort, advice, and support. We need to educate our campus administrations and emergency responders about this so they will know they may find large numbers of people in the libraries and also that adhering to a lockdown order will be difficult unless there is an imminent threat. 4. Communication will be problematic. Whether it is false reports coming through social media or incomplete information from the campus, it is highly likely that there will be significant breakdowns