Our Library 2.0 "Safe Library" training programs for library staffers and leaders cover service, security, safety, supervision, and even a little stress management. Our goal is to help to keep all library employees physically and psychologically safe, making it easier for them to serve all patrons in their facilities.
Dr. Albrecht's podcast recordings and feed are to the right, and following immediately below that is a full list of his blog posts. A full list of paid webinars is to the left.
November 6, 2025
Dr. Albrecht's blog posts are below. One of the features of his blog is "ASK DR. STEVE," where readers submit questions and he answers them. To submit a question for Dr. Steve, please email askdrsteve@library20.com.
See all posts HERE.
Shooting Outside the SFO Library
The “Lockdown” Part of Run-Hide-Fight
By Dr. Steve Albrecht
As per the current and seemingly-never-ending number of murders in America, it’s time to go back to my workplace violence prevention roots and remind libraries to stay vigilant.
On Friday, October 3, 2025, a worker for Urban Alchemy in San Francisco was shot in front of the main branch of the Library. Urban Alchemy provides employment to people who have had a tough life and helps the provide services in the community to those who are having a tough life.
The employee, 60-year-old Joey Alexander, asked 42-year-old Edmund Bowen to stop using drugs in front of the library entrance. Bowen pulled out a shotgun and said, “F*** Urban Alchemy!” and shot Alexander. (I know the press always has to use the phrase “allegedly,” but I choose not to.) Alexander died at the hospital four days later. Bowen was arrested at the scene and will be charged with murder.
My review of the incident includes the information that the security team at San Francisco Public Library (a place I have trained at many times and that is also known as the Civic Center branch), did their absolute best to lockdown the entrance and keep staff and the patrons inside. This may have saved more lives.
This is a critically important part of the Run-Hide-Fight response to an actual or potential armed event outside a library. Many library leaders and staff have had some training exposure to the preferred workplace violence response. (I teach a reminder version every time I do a live training class in front of library groups.)
The three steps: Run out of the building, and not necessarily out of the main entrance, and certainly not into the path, or direction of the attacker, taking as many staff and patrons with you; Hide inside any part of the building that can be locked, secured, or at least blocked from the inside; to stay out of sight of the attacker and await the arrival of the police; away from the doorway, and hiding beyond large objects in the room if possible; and the last choice, Fight back, which is certainly not preferable but may be necessary, using whatever heavy objects we can find.
A missing part of those three options is to Lock Down the library. While I hope this is already obvious, I’ll say it specifically here: This is only an option if the attacker/shooter is outside the library. We don’t lock ourselves inside with armed people, to prevent an even more dangerous hostage situation.
A Lock Down means being able to safely lock all doors - without standing there and getting shot while fumbling with keys. This is especially true if a potential shooter has made threats to “leave and come back with my gun.” In my Perfect Library World, any version of, “You haven't seen the last of me! I’ll be back and you’ll be sorry!” would mean that the closest staff member would immediately lock the main library doors and ask for help to lock any other library entrances/exits. This should happen as another staffer is calling 9-1-1 to describe the possibility of an active shooter threat.
If you’re working a one or two-person library, the ideal safety and security situation would be able to lock the main entrance door by pressing a button under the main desk, without having to leave to go to the door. Just like you are buzzed into a doctor’s office or other secured office areas, getting a desk-operated door lock should be a standard install and part of a more urgent conversation.
In libraries with security guards and/or PICs, both should know how, why, and when to get the building locked down ASAP. The goals are two-fold: keep patrons or staff from running into harm’s way (this includes the attacker and the arriving police) and keep the attacker from getting inside the library to cause more harm. All staff should know how to secure the building doors, not just Security or the PICs, but those efforts need to be led by the closest security officer or PIC (who have both practiced it several times previously), to make sure it gets done quickly, safely, and accurately.
Staff should stay on the phone with 9-1-1 dispatchers and wait for the arrival of the police, who will be either dealing with the bad guy in front of the building, looking for him nearby, or giving the all-clear sign if he gets arrested or has truly fled. They can unlock the doors for the police to come inside and provide information.
The shooting near the SFO Library is not a rare event. I have seen a similar attack two years ago at my hometown library in downtown San Diego. To say I am tired of seeing, writing about, or training on workplace violence, after studying it for 33 years and talking to three workplace killers in prison, understates my weariness by a million.
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Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, and security. 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. His new book, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, was just published by 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 25 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives in Springfield, Missouri, with six dogs and two cats.
More on The Safe Library at thesafelibrary.com. Follow on X (Twitter) at @thesafelibrary and on YouTube @thesafelibrary. Dr. Albrecht's professional website is drstevealbrecht.com.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for presenting at our staff development day. Our staff has expressed their appreciation for the information and tools you provided. We know the lessons learned will be useful in our day-to-day work. It was a pleasure to have you with us -- even if it was only virtually." - Athens, GA Library
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"Not only have I learned incredibly valuable skills to use in my career as a public librarian, those lessons will have a ripple effect as I teach a course on Social Crisis Management... I always give Dr. Albrecht the credit in the portions of my lecture and presentation. And have first hand experiences using these lessons to support his approach. Thanks again for lending your expertise to ensure that as librarians we can remain safe, keep our customers safe and still deliver on our mission and the meaningful work we do each day." - Jen
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"I was able to view Library Safety and Security and Interacting with the Homeless. I learned so much and appreciate the education you offered. I became aware of changes, large and small that I can make in my life to enhance how I interact with all people. I do hope our library offers your classes in the future because I did not view all the webinars that I wanted to and I am sure my coworkers feel the same. Thank you again." - Vicki from VA
"I wanted to send you a note of thanks for your webinars... I watched 5 of them and found them to be incredibly informative. Currently I am working with my library's director to put together a situation response manual for safety and security matters that apply to our own library... What you have shared has been very useful to help set up some guidelines and decide a good direction for training within our organization. Thank you so much for sharing your insights." - Jennifer from IN
"Thank you for the great content. I appreciate it." - Carmen from MT
"[I] found [your webinars] extremely helpful and informative. Thanks again and stay safe!" - Christine from PA
"I remember when you came to our Annual Employee Training Session and presented a terrific class. I was able to view all of your webinars during this time and I learned so much. Your generosity of spirit during this pandemic is truly appreciated and your kindness will be remembered. Thanks again and Cheers." - Bernadette from CA
"We have watched a couple of [your webinars] in the past and they always provide a great approach to issues that are becoming more and more common in public libraries." - Rod from TX
"Your webinars were educational and inspiring." - Karen from GA
"I have recently watched all your webinars... (this begins to sound like a groupie saying, "I have all your records!") and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from them. They were probably the best work at home professional development material I encountered in the two months my library has been closed. I've worked in public libraries since 1988 and everything you said makes sense in my experience. I look forward to putting what I learned from your webinars to use when we eventually reopen to the people the library exists for. Many thanks!" - Barbara from BC Canada
"I've learned a lot from your diverse offerings as I knew that I would. I listened to 4 of your webinars at this run. I also attended your talk last year at one of our branch libraries. I hope that your presentations remain in my mind and that your practical, philosophical and respectful methods of engagement can be brought forth in times of need." - Deborah from CA
"We don't always take the time to do online courses or participate in webinars because of time and money restraints. We have been lucky to have the time now to take advantage of these opportunities. Your webinars really pack a lot of info in the time allotted. Your observations and surveys conducted with staff across the country made this applicable and the reality. Many of the situations described sound like our day to day interactions with patrons. Again thank you so much for these valuable webinars. I hope we will be open soon and able to put your tips into practice." - Kathy from MD
"I’ve really enjoyed all of your webinars, especially the ones about security and challenging patrons, and I’ve gained some useful knowledge that I can utilize at my library. I hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks again!" - Deborah from OH
"You're the best of the best." - Nick from CA
"I have found your webinars especially helpful during this time of stay-at-home orders and the inability to report to work for my daily schedule. (My branch is closed indefinitely.) I have especially found "Interacting with the Homeless" and "Stress Management for Library Staff" as the most help to date. I have been doing daily meditation as a stress reliever and taking time to find happiness despite all that is taking place in this world.... having this opportunity to listen to your thought-processes is very invigorating and life-changing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart." - Danielle from MD
"[Y]ou've expanded our minds and helped us greatly with your generosity. Thank you for all that you do, I appreciate it immensely." - Valerie from TX
"Thank you very much for your work and very good webinar." - Donna from IN
"I appreciate your vast knowledge on patrons and safety situations." - Mary from IL
"I've long wanted to explore your work, and have enjoyed and learned from 4 of your webinars so far, with plans to view them all. They are excellent! I am charged with leading our staff around issues of safety and security in our rural system, and you are a clear and dynamic voice in our field. I really appreciate your experience, knowledge, and presentation style, down to talking fast to get the most information into the time of the presentation! Hopefully, I'll be able to obtain the new edition of your book soon, as I hope to keep these themes as relevant currents for the duration of my career." - Kimberlee from CA
Additionally:
"Thank you for your wonderful `Safety and Security in the Library' presentation. I so appreciate that you were able to join us virtually this year and share your knowledge on these topics with our library staff. I look forward to exploring some of the resources you shared with us."
"Thanks so much for recording the presentation. It was fantastic!"
"Thank you, Dr Steve, for your presentation today. It was very helpful and insightful. Your subtle humor also lightened the mood."
"I wanted to reach out and thank you for all the information that you gave in your webinar on conducting a library facility security assessment."
Watch Dr. Steve Albrecht on video and onstage, as he presents his safety and security workshop, "Dealing With Challenging Patrons" to a live library audience. 45 minutes for unlimited staff showings at a one-time $495 fee or included in any all-access pass program.
Comments
I have to wonder, why are you using the airport designation for the library? The city of San Francisco is not actually home to the airport, and the library system is SFPL, if you're worried about "SF" potentially being too confusing.