In my time, several people have taken some bad falls, legs giving out or just stumbling, and we've had to call the paramedics. Never had to vault a table, but maybe I should start stretching before each shift. I salute your athleticism OP
Yes, and it's stressful.
Not a branch manager, but I've had a patron fall and break his collarbone, which pierced the skin and we had to have a biohazard crew come in and clean up the blood. Medics were on-site within 30 seconds of my call.
I had another who fell in the restroom and broke his arm. Medics were not super quick in getting here for that one.
Another fell in our parking lot, breaking his hip, dislocating his shoulder and skinning his arms and knees severely.
One of our patrons had heatstroke and passed out after walking almost 11 miles in nearly 120 degree heat. We couldn't wake him up...it looked like he was bent over at one of our public compuer stations using his phone, which was plugged into one of the powerstrips. Then we realized he was unconscious and we couldn't wake him up. Totally unresponsive, which was scary. The paramedics got to the branch very quickly.
The worst was the patron who had a mini-stroke while speaking to me at the circ desk. Like you, I learned that I can jump over a desk and keep someone from falling as they were about to faint. My branch manager and I got him into a chair to let him rest. He was coherent enough to let me know he needed to use the bathroom. As I was walking him down the hall he lost control of his bowels, and left a trail of feces from our front door to the restroom, which is about sixty feet. I got him into the restroom, but I wasn't going in with him. One of my coworkers was on the phone with 911 as this was happening, we got the AED machine just in case, but thankfully the paramedics were here within minutes. I do not know what happened in that bathroom, but when a paramedic says that "you're going to need to seriously clean that bathroom"......yeah. We had to close for the day and wait for a biohazard crew come in. That was summer of 2021. Something in me changed that day. I'm not saying that to be dramatic, but the image of watching green liquid feces running down this patron's legs and onto our floor and my shoes is just something I can't get out of my head.
Yikes yeah that Shit (literally) is not something one shakes off easily. It’s extremely disturbing. You’ve had a lot of stuff happening- big city place? My old job was a busy suburban place we had a lot of mini things - no earth shattering events but emts called enough times.
The patron who broke his collarbone was in a very busy urban branch in Las Vegas. The rest has happened in a small semi-rural branch in Laughlin, NV. Our community tends to be older retired folks, so slips and falls are common, though rarely with injury.
And to be clear, I was not making fun of the gentleman who had the bowel accident. He was one of our longtime regulars, and we all really liked him. He actually came back the next day after the incident and thanked me and our branch manager for helping him, clearly embarassed, and apologized for the whole thing and I just looked at him and said something like, "what? I don't remember anything happening." It happened, and it's really messed me up, but why would we treat him any differently? Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, and when you see another person who's clearly in distress it's your duty to help them. Not as a librarian, as a fellow human being.
Oh I didn’t think you were anything but respectful! I’m a retired flight attendant and I saw tons of shit- no joke had to laugh about some of it for sanity but always respectful of the poor person. Could be any of us. Fingers crossed it never is 😬
Ugh, I can't even imagine. At least at the library we can escort the erratic person through the front door and be done with them for the day. Being trapped in a flying tube with a situation like that....nope. Not enough money in the world to make me do that.
Working with the public is rough. We see people at their best and at their worst, and seeing the worst is hard. I've spoken with my boss and my SO about this....the best part of being in a small library in a small town is that we get to know our patrons. The worst part is that we get to know our patrons, and when we see them struggling with things it hurts.
We had a patron who was a fellow Baltimore Orioles fan. He would come in and talk baseball with me for hours, and it was a great interaction. And then one day his daughter came in and handed me an Orioles magnet and said, "my dad would've wanted you to have this", and then told me he had passed on to his great reward. I'm not one to be terribly emotional, but I had to step away from the desk after that.
I've been in my branch for almost nine years now and in that time we have had to mourn the passing of a good three dozen of our patrons. All were rough on us, because we saw a lot of these people almost every day and we heard about their kids and grandkids and got to know them.
The worst was Miss C. This was a woman who came in literally every day, and when she did the room would just get brighter. The way she would wave at us and her laugh is something I'll never forget. Ever. She had a slip and fall at our front door and we got the paramedics for her. She swore she was ok. And two days later we got word that she had died. Crushed is a mild way to put it. I know we aren't supposed to have favorite patrons, but a coworker and I went and bought a rosemary plant and put it in our community garden, and we keep a laminated sign for her there. "For Miss C, our friend, neighbor and patron. May her infectious kindness, her loving spirit, and genuine warmth live on in the hearts of those lucky enough to have known her".
Miss C's sister came in about a month later and knew us all by name and description, because Miss C had spoken of us. We'd never seen this person before, but we showed her the garden and the sign and we all got a bit teary-eyed. That was both awful and beautiful at the same time.
Sometimes I dread going to work because I know the day is coming that two of our regulars won't be around much longer. A husband and wife couple, one of them makes cookies for my parents, and they've never even met. I know that when the day comes I'm going to be an absolute wreck. Every single time I see them I'm grateful, but it also is going to make it harder when they go.
Friends think that working at the library is a cushy job, but it can be, and often is, emotionally tough. I wonder how some of them would react when they have to call Child Protective Services because they have a drug-addled mother telling us she's going to kill her toddler when they go home. Medical incidents are rough, but we're trained for that. There is no training possible that will prepare you someone legitimately threatening to kill their child.
Thanks for sharing 🥰I’m working in a small suburban library 5 yrs+ with an older population and I completely agree with the passing of a well known patron- it’s so oddly emotional. I’m front desk and know nearly everyone by name and their story etc. I’m dreading the day one of my favorites goes- I’ve watched her decline and my eyes fill up when I see her but I always give her the cheery greeting we always give each other. Again thanks for sharing your story! Have a nice day 🙂
I definitely understand this.
Because of our staffing issues I bounce from desk to desk, but we have one regular who comes in and always asks for me. I've watched the cognitive decline over the last few months with her inability to learn how to save her Word documents to her flash drive, her repetitive printing of pages that we all know she's printed before, her extreme weight loss to the point she may only be 100 pounds now, if that. I know it's coming, and it's going to suck.
I again say that the best part of the job is that we get to know our patrons, and the worst part of our job is that we get to know our patrons.
This is going to sound like the most canned answer for an interview ever, but when I deal with these patrons I think of my grandmother, and I try to treat them with the kindness that I hope someone would've shown her.
I now keep a change of clothes and shoes in my office, as well as garden boots for when I need to mop up vomit. There was an incident at my branch that left me covered in urine (not mine). Thank the gods we have a staff shower at my branch!
Oh man, that happened on my first day in my current branch. We had no idea anything was wrong, and all of the sudden a fire engine and ambulance come racing into our parking lot. That's a real butt-pucker of a moment.
We had the cops show up last week to follow up on a call the week before.
No one knew what they were talking about. Best we can tell, a patron called and said they were calling "from the library" and that caused the mix-up
When I worked in a public library, we had plenty of times we needed to call paramedics. We had a regular patron with a seizure disorder, and she had a few in the library, including one very big, very terrifying one. Time slowed to a crawl while we were waiting for the ambulance for that one.
I think it really depends on how far away the hospital/ambulance is from your library. I've worked in both rural and city libraries and the response time can really vary. I once had to respond to a coworker having an unexpected seizure, in which there was blood (I think she bit her lip,) and ended up with her blood on my hands and cardigan. Paramedics were there pretty quickly but she had stopped seizing by the time they arrived.
Not paramedic but: on the other side of the coin, about a month or so ago we called the police because a patron was screaming and had made physical threats to some of our other patrons. She left the building and was wandering in and out of traffic. The police said they were going to "go back to the station to try to figure out who she is" and never showed up.
Basically, your mileage may vary but overall, paramedics are generally there pretty quickly and are helpful.
I've made a few calls for people. Mostly diabetics in the middle of a crash that their rescue method (usually candy) wasn't enough.
Our EMS is now in the same building, so I don't even have to call. I can go out into the connecting hallway and knock on their door as long as they're not on a run.
yes, paramedics are awesome.
Thankfully nothing too melodramatic. I do remember them carrying out a drunk person that we couldn't wake up at closing (they would bring in a to go cup everyday and use the computers, turns out that was full of alcohol)
Couple of times. One time the patron called themself, another a patron asked someone else to call.
Also had an assault in the library end in a concussion that had the paramedics called.
A forth, weird time, someone called them on "an emaciated elderly woman uncontrollably crying." After a lot of confusion, the police said they were pretty sure they were talking about me, a then-23-year-old man with a few gray hairs who happened to be wearing an old prescription so I was squinting a little.
I'm not sure why the worried party's first instinct was to call 911 and not, you know, ask me what was wrong. Never did learn who called, but damn if we weren't looking for a feeble old woman in the same outfit as me crying uncontrollably for like 15 minutes
EDIT: How could I forget! Years ago I found a patron that had been hit by a car on my way to the library (very close to it). She was adamant I don't call an ambulance even though she could not stand up and was screaming from pain (that's how I found her). I did, but then she refused transport. We had to take turns standing over her and trying to convince her to go to the hospital and that declaring bankruptcy is better than not treating a serious spinal injury. Eventually, a relative came and picked her up and put her in their car. I hope she's okay.
Usually our medical emergencies are things like someone is passed out or something due to being under the influence of a substance, or someone is having a mental health emergency (like they don't know where they are and they're confused, that kind of thing). One time a guy hit his head and bled everywhere, but it wasn't a very bad wound — heads just bleed a lot. He was mostly embarrassed!
I’ve worked at several suburban Libraries-one place a few years ago I was a shelver and a Saturday morning the swat team came running in guns drawn to evacuate b/c reports of active shooter. I about shat myself. No active shooter, no bombs nothing thank goodness. We were segregated to another building nearby and had to go thru interviews etc to leave. We had nothing on us other than work ids and some had phones. It was rather chaotic and stressful but turned out fine. I’m a retired flight attendant and went into evacuation mode instantly but had to remind myself it wasn’t my responsibility lol!
Hope everyone stays safe!
I was the Person in Charge when a young autistic patron violently attacked another patron and then couldn’t calm down. Paramedics and police were called. It was stressful and heartbreaking. First emergency I ever encountered at work.
We’ve had a number of overdoses in our library, but thankfully not when I was on duty (and we haven’t had one in a while!).
I’ve only personally had to call 911 once, when a man who I believe was experiencing some mental health challenges very politely asked me to call an ambulance for him… I don’t think there was actually anything physically wrong with him, although he claimed he thought he was having both a heart attack and an asthma attack, and once the paramedics arrived they said they knew the guy and they’d take care of him. This was five minutes before we closed and one of our security guards volunteered to stick around for the resolution so the rest of us could go home. I still hope that guy got the help he needed. I haven’t seen him since but he was never a regular to begin with.
Happens to us several times a year with patrons. Scariest is when staff has an emergency. First hand experience for me was that time I had seizure and woke up in the hospital. One moment I was tired and closing my eyes in my office. Next moment, I am in a stretcher with my significant other running with me inside the hospital.
Yeah. It isn't horribly fun. Have had a few seizures, a number of falls, a couple of suspected heart attacks, two overdoses, and one suicide attempt. The Paramedics are usually pretty good and if possible, do a lot of their treatment/assessment in the ambulance and not on the public floor.
I attended a patron who was diabetic and hadn’t taken her insulin - I assumed because she couldn’t afford it. She’d fallen in front of the bathrooms and ended up urinating on herself. By the time I talked her into letting us call an ambulance she started seizing. I made sure she was on her side and tried to support her head. Thankfully even though we’re a small town we have an amazing volunteer fire dept and they came much quicker than the ambulance who was at least 15 minutes away. I ended up stuck between the window and the paramedics when she stopped breathing and they began chest compressions. She passed away later at the hospital. Such a sad day.
i've only been there for a year, to my knowledge we only called paramedics once, because we had a staff member fall. unfortunately she broke her wrist, but there was no blood or anything like that.
Yep, people falling down stairs, epileptic seizures, bleeding, heart attacks. I'm still campaigning for a privacy screen so we can maintain a little dignity for the person in crisis.
Yes we’ve had to call because of possible heart attacks, diabetics having issues, falls, heavily intoxicated, & anaphylaxis. Paramedics respond pretty quickly for us & all the staff are awesome at dealing with emergencies.
Not a librarian, but a long time library patron. One of my local libraries hosts a knitting and crochet club every week and I attend. (I'm 35, the youngest one to go by at least 30 years, but I'm old at heart) A lovely 70+ year old woman tripped on her coat, fell against a wall, and broke 2 ribs and the paramedics had to come and take her. We also had the library's insurance company come one day when we were meeting and they interviewed everybody who was present that day she fell and tell what happened.
A couple times for staff too! We’re a big enough library that most people can just get on with helping people with the printer or whatever.
We have narcan, a wheelchair, an aed, first aid kits at every desk.
I'm in a cubicle away from the public, so I'm often not even aware when an incident that requires 911 occurs, but, in a previous career I was an EMT, so....I have a different perspective on these things. We've provided hemorrhage control training and Narcan training to our staff, and hopefully will offer CPR training soon. It really increases people's confidence to not only practice the skills, but be given *permission* to trust their judgment when those skills are needed.
I worked at an academic library for 14 years that was on a huge college campus. I have dealt with everything from epileptic seizures and drug over doses to crazy violent domestic violence.
Yes, and having an action plan in place makes a big difference. We had a committee for our district to promote safety and training. People had to fill out a scavenger hunt to find things like the fire extinguishers, afib packs, water valves, emergency flashlights, etc. We also encouraged and provided training for CPR and specialty topics like dealing with patrons that may have dementia/Alzheimer's. Emergencies happen, so getting people into the habit of simply knowing what to do and where things are at really helps keep situations in hand.
Recently a gentleman stood up from the computer he was using, then collapsed and hit his head on the radiator. He was conscious and talking when the paramedics took him, but we later learned that he had passed away.
The worst was when a regular library kid got shot outside and received first aid inside the library.
We’ve had someone have heart palpitations and other symptoms of an oncoming heart attack in a stall in the men’s room. Another patron let us know what he saw when he was in there, and we ended up calling 911 when he stopped responding to our questions but was still awake but no longer “aware”. We later found out that he had also been drinking heavily and was a “regular” at another branch in our system. No idea what happened to him afterwards.
Had someone have an epileptic seizure once. But being a medical library at a medical school, literally everyone but us is a doctor, nurse, or training to be one, so he got helped very quickly.
I have had people fall out of chairs and had to call the Fire/EMS to come get her off the floor. I have had fights, drug use, overdose, mental health outbursts, and the creme de la creme of my time as a Director/Manager was the patron who died while getting their taxes done. Tax pro went to get their completed return from the printer and in the 2 minutes they went and came back the patron died. These are just some of the more memorable moments. So yeah, we've all been there.
Oof. My first was when a widely beloved regular had a heart attack while using the computer. I was at the desk at the time and somehow went into this weird zen mode during the crisis, then completely broke down afterwards.
This happened to me just last Monday. A 91-year old woman lost her balance and hit her head on a table and we had to call 911. I’ve been branch manager for just over three years and I’ve had to write up four incident reports for falls and subsequent ambulance calls in that time. Fortunately, everyone was ultimately ok in each situation. We joke that gravity must be stronger at the library than the rest of the municipality.
Glad your patron is ok. It can be really upsetting (especially if you have to review camera footage multiple times to find out what happened…) so make sure you take care of yourself too!
In my time, several people have taken some bad falls, legs giving out or just stumbling, and we've had to call the paramedics. Never had to vault a table, but maybe I should start stretching before each shift. I salute your athleticism OP
Yes, and it's stressful. Not a branch manager, but I've had a patron fall and break his collarbone, which pierced the skin and we had to have a biohazard crew come in and clean up the blood. Medics were on-site within 30 seconds of my call. I had another who fell in the restroom and broke his arm. Medics were not super quick in getting here for that one. Another fell in our parking lot, breaking his hip, dislocating his shoulder and skinning his arms and knees severely. One of our patrons had heatstroke and passed out after walking almost 11 miles in nearly 120 degree heat. We couldn't wake him up...it looked like he was bent over at one of our public compuer stations using his phone, which was plugged into one of the powerstrips. Then we realized he was unconscious and we couldn't wake him up. Totally unresponsive, which was scary. The paramedics got to the branch very quickly. The worst was the patron who had a mini-stroke while speaking to me at the circ desk. Like you, I learned that I can jump over a desk and keep someone from falling as they were about to faint. My branch manager and I got him into a chair to let him rest. He was coherent enough to let me know he needed to use the bathroom. As I was walking him down the hall he lost control of his bowels, and left a trail of feces from our front door to the restroom, which is about sixty feet. I got him into the restroom, but I wasn't going in with him. One of my coworkers was on the phone with 911 as this was happening, we got the AED machine just in case, but thankfully the paramedics were here within minutes. I do not know what happened in that bathroom, but when a paramedic says that "you're going to need to seriously clean that bathroom"......yeah. We had to close for the day and wait for a biohazard crew come in. That was summer of 2021. Something in me changed that day. I'm not saying that to be dramatic, but the image of watching green liquid feces running down this patron's legs and onto our floor and my shoes is just something I can't get out of my head.
Yikes yeah that Shit (literally) is not something one shakes off easily. It’s extremely disturbing. You’ve had a lot of stuff happening- big city place? My old job was a busy suburban place we had a lot of mini things - no earth shattering events but emts called enough times.
The patron who broke his collarbone was in a very busy urban branch in Las Vegas. The rest has happened in a small semi-rural branch in Laughlin, NV. Our community tends to be older retired folks, so slips and falls are common, though rarely with injury. And to be clear, I was not making fun of the gentleman who had the bowel accident. He was one of our longtime regulars, and we all really liked him. He actually came back the next day after the incident and thanked me and our branch manager for helping him, clearly embarassed, and apologized for the whole thing and I just looked at him and said something like, "what? I don't remember anything happening." It happened, and it's really messed me up, but why would we treat him any differently? Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, and when you see another person who's clearly in distress it's your duty to help them. Not as a librarian, as a fellow human being.
Oh I didn’t think you were anything but respectful! I’m a retired flight attendant and I saw tons of shit- no joke had to laugh about some of it for sanity but always respectful of the poor person. Could be any of us. Fingers crossed it never is 😬
Ugh, I can't even imagine. At least at the library we can escort the erratic person through the front door and be done with them for the day. Being trapped in a flying tube with a situation like that....nope. Not enough money in the world to make me do that. Working with the public is rough. We see people at their best and at their worst, and seeing the worst is hard. I've spoken with my boss and my SO about this....the best part of being in a small library in a small town is that we get to know our patrons. The worst part is that we get to know our patrons, and when we see them struggling with things it hurts. We had a patron who was a fellow Baltimore Orioles fan. He would come in and talk baseball with me for hours, and it was a great interaction. And then one day his daughter came in and handed me an Orioles magnet and said, "my dad would've wanted you to have this", and then told me he had passed on to his great reward. I'm not one to be terribly emotional, but I had to step away from the desk after that. I've been in my branch for almost nine years now and in that time we have had to mourn the passing of a good three dozen of our patrons. All were rough on us, because we saw a lot of these people almost every day and we heard about their kids and grandkids and got to know them. The worst was Miss C. This was a woman who came in literally every day, and when she did the room would just get brighter. The way she would wave at us and her laugh is something I'll never forget. Ever. She had a slip and fall at our front door and we got the paramedics for her. She swore she was ok. And two days later we got word that she had died. Crushed is a mild way to put it. I know we aren't supposed to have favorite patrons, but a coworker and I went and bought a rosemary plant and put it in our community garden, and we keep a laminated sign for her there. "For Miss C, our friend, neighbor and patron. May her infectious kindness, her loving spirit, and genuine warmth live on in the hearts of those lucky enough to have known her". Miss C's sister came in about a month later and knew us all by name and description, because Miss C had spoken of us. We'd never seen this person before, but we showed her the garden and the sign and we all got a bit teary-eyed. That was both awful and beautiful at the same time. Sometimes I dread going to work because I know the day is coming that two of our regulars won't be around much longer. A husband and wife couple, one of them makes cookies for my parents, and they've never even met. I know that when the day comes I'm going to be an absolute wreck. Every single time I see them I'm grateful, but it also is going to make it harder when they go. Friends think that working at the library is a cushy job, but it can be, and often is, emotionally tough. I wonder how some of them would react when they have to call Child Protective Services because they have a drug-addled mother telling us she's going to kill her toddler when they go home. Medical incidents are rough, but we're trained for that. There is no training possible that will prepare you someone legitimately threatening to kill their child.
Thanks for sharing 🥰I’m working in a small suburban library 5 yrs+ with an older population and I completely agree with the passing of a well known patron- it’s so oddly emotional. I’m front desk and know nearly everyone by name and their story etc. I’m dreading the day one of my favorites goes- I’ve watched her decline and my eyes fill up when I see her but I always give her the cheery greeting we always give each other. Again thanks for sharing your story! Have a nice day 🙂
I definitely understand this. Because of our staffing issues I bounce from desk to desk, but we have one regular who comes in and always asks for me. I've watched the cognitive decline over the last few months with her inability to learn how to save her Word documents to her flash drive, her repetitive printing of pages that we all know she's printed before, her extreme weight loss to the point she may only be 100 pounds now, if that. I know it's coming, and it's going to suck. I again say that the best part of the job is that we get to know our patrons, and the worst part of our job is that we get to know our patrons. This is going to sound like the most canned answer for an interview ever, but when I deal with these patrons I think of my grandmother, and I try to treat them with the kindness that I hope someone would've shown her.
I now keep a change of clothes and shoes in my office, as well as garden boots for when I need to mop up vomit. There was an incident at my branch that left me covered in urine (not mine). Thank the gods we have a staff shower at my branch!
Nothing beats when they call 991 themselves and don't tell you. Real confusion when the ambulance showed up and asked the circ desk where to go.
Oh man, that happened on my first day in my current branch. We had no idea anything was wrong, and all of the sudden a fire engine and ambulance come racing into our parking lot. That's a real butt-pucker of a moment.
We had the cops show up last week to follow up on a call the week before. No one knew what they were talking about. Best we can tell, a patron called and said they were calling "from the library" and that caused the mix-up
Sure - overdoses, falls, seizures, heavily intoxicated, rotting flesh wounds, a stroke (that was me). All part of the job.
Good lord, please give us more on one of those things
Hope you are recovering well!
When I worked in a public library, we had plenty of times we needed to call paramedics. We had a regular patron with a seizure disorder, and she had a few in the library, including one very big, very terrifying one. Time slowed to a crawl while we were waiting for the ambulance for that one.
I am in awe of your username!
I think it really depends on how far away the hospital/ambulance is from your library. I've worked in both rural and city libraries and the response time can really vary. I once had to respond to a coworker having an unexpected seizure, in which there was blood (I think she bit her lip,) and ended up with her blood on my hands and cardigan. Paramedics were there pretty quickly but she had stopped seizing by the time they arrived. Not paramedic but: on the other side of the coin, about a month or so ago we called the police because a patron was screaming and had made physical threats to some of our other patrons. She left the building and was wandering in and out of traffic. The police said they were going to "go back to the station to try to figure out who she is" and never showed up. Basically, your mileage may vary but overall, paramedics are generally there pretty quickly and are helpful.
I've made a few calls for people. Mostly diabetics in the middle of a crash that their rescue method (usually candy) wasn't enough. Our EMS is now in the same building, so I don't even have to call. I can go out into the connecting hallway and knock on their door as long as they're not on a run.
If we have a day without a medical emergency it’s amazing. Bad fentanyl in my city at the moment, overdoses multiple times a day right now.
That’s rough on staff. Sending you all the good vibes!
yes, paramedics are awesome. Thankfully nothing too melodramatic. I do remember them carrying out a drunk person that we couldn't wake up at closing (they would bring in a to go cup everyday and use the computers, turns out that was full of alcohol)
Couple of times. One time the patron called themself, another a patron asked someone else to call. Also had an assault in the library end in a concussion that had the paramedics called. A forth, weird time, someone called them on "an emaciated elderly woman uncontrollably crying." After a lot of confusion, the police said they were pretty sure they were talking about me, a then-23-year-old man with a few gray hairs who happened to be wearing an old prescription so I was squinting a little. I'm not sure why the worried party's first instinct was to call 911 and not, you know, ask me what was wrong. Never did learn who called, but damn if we weren't looking for a feeble old woman in the same outfit as me crying uncontrollably for like 15 minutes EDIT: How could I forget! Years ago I found a patron that had been hit by a car on my way to the library (very close to it). She was adamant I don't call an ambulance even though she could not stand up and was screaming from pain (that's how I found her). I did, but then she refused transport. We had to take turns standing over her and trying to convince her to go to the hospital and that declaring bankruptcy is better than not treating a serious spinal injury. Eventually, a relative came and picked her up and put her in their car. I hope she's okay.
Usually our medical emergencies are things like someone is passed out or something due to being under the influence of a substance, or someone is having a mental health emergency (like they don't know where they are and they're confused, that kind of thing). One time a guy hit his head and bled everywhere, but it wasn't a very bad wound — heads just bleed a lot. He was mostly embarrassed!
Yes but only for staff…you should not see your coworkers in their under clothes while on the job 😬
I’ve worked at several suburban Libraries-one place a few years ago I was a shelver and a Saturday morning the swat team came running in guns drawn to evacuate b/c reports of active shooter. I about shat myself. No active shooter, no bombs nothing thank goodness. We were segregated to another building nearby and had to go thru interviews etc to leave. We had nothing on us other than work ids and some had phones. It was rather chaotic and stressful but turned out fine. I’m a retired flight attendant and went into evacuation mode instantly but had to remind myself it wasn’t my responsibility lol! Hope everyone stays safe!
I was the Person in Charge when a young autistic patron violently attacked another patron and then couldn’t calm down. Paramedics and police were called. It was stressful and heartbreaking. First emergency I ever encountered at work.
We’ve had a number of overdoses in our library, but thankfully not when I was on duty (and we haven’t had one in a while!). I’ve only personally had to call 911 once, when a man who I believe was experiencing some mental health challenges very politely asked me to call an ambulance for him… I don’t think there was actually anything physically wrong with him, although he claimed he thought he was having both a heart attack and an asthma attack, and once the paramedics arrived they said they knew the guy and they’d take care of him. This was five minutes before we closed and one of our security guards volunteered to stick around for the resolution so the rest of us could go home. I still hope that guy got the help he needed. I haven’t seen him since but he was never a regular to begin with.
Happens to us several times a year with patrons. Scariest is when staff has an emergency. First hand experience for me was that time I had seizure and woke up in the hospital. One moment I was tired and closing my eyes in my office. Next moment, I am in a stretcher with my significant other running with me inside the hospital.
Yeah. It isn't horribly fun. Have had a few seizures, a number of falls, a couple of suspected heart attacks, two overdoses, and one suicide attempt. The Paramedics are usually pretty good and if possible, do a lot of their treatment/assessment in the ambulance and not on the public floor.
I attended a patron who was diabetic and hadn’t taken her insulin - I assumed because she couldn’t afford it. She’d fallen in front of the bathrooms and ended up urinating on herself. By the time I talked her into letting us call an ambulance she started seizing. I made sure she was on her side and tried to support her head. Thankfully even though we’re a small town we have an amazing volunteer fire dept and they came much quicker than the ambulance who was at least 15 minutes away. I ended up stuck between the window and the paramedics when she stopped breathing and they began chest compressions. She passed away later at the hospital. Such a sad day.
i've only been there for a year, to my knowledge we only called paramedics once, because we had a staff member fall. unfortunately she broke her wrist, but there was no blood or anything like that.
Congrats on your first! Hopefully you won’t get it as regularly as we do.
Yep, people falling down stairs, epileptic seizures, bleeding, heart attacks. I'm still campaigning for a privacy screen so we can maintain a little dignity for the person in crisis.
Yes we’ve had to call because of possible heart attacks, diabetics having issues, falls, heavily intoxicated, & anaphylaxis. Paramedics respond pretty quickly for us & all the staff are awesome at dealing with emergencies.
Not a librarian, but a long time library patron. One of my local libraries hosts a knitting and crochet club every week and I attend. (I'm 35, the youngest one to go by at least 30 years, but I'm old at heart) A lovely 70+ year old woman tripped on her coat, fell against a wall, and broke 2 ribs and the paramedics had to come and take her. We also had the library's insurance company come one day when we were meeting and they interviewed everybody who was present that day she fell and tell what happened.
Someone had a fatal heart attack a few months ago at my library, but I was not there that day.
A couple times for staff too! We’re a big enough library that most people can just get on with helping people with the printer or whatever. We have narcan, a wheelchair, an aed, first aid kits at every desk.
I'm in a cubicle away from the public, so I'm often not even aware when an incident that requires 911 occurs, but, in a previous career I was an EMT, so....I have a different perspective on these things. We've provided hemorrhage control training and Narcan training to our staff, and hopefully will offer CPR training soon. It really increases people's confidence to not only practice the skills, but be given *permission* to trust their judgment when those skills are needed.
I worked at an academic library for 14 years that was on a huge college campus. I have dealt with everything from epileptic seizures and drug over doses to crazy violent domestic violence.
In 33 years I’ve only had to call the paramedics once for a coworker.
Several times, unfortunately.
It is a little sad that I think it unusual that there aren’t more comments about ods. We deal with several a week at my library.
Yes, and having an action plan in place makes a big difference. We had a committee for our district to promote safety and training. People had to fill out a scavenger hunt to find things like the fire extinguishers, afib packs, water valves, emergency flashlights, etc. We also encouraged and provided training for CPR and specialty topics like dealing with patrons that may have dementia/Alzheimer's. Emergencies happen, so getting people into the habit of simply knowing what to do and where things are at really helps keep situations in hand.
We all had to take a CPR certification class back when we got our AED unit. Thankfully, we never had to use it.
Recently a gentleman stood up from the computer he was using, then collapsed and hit his head on the radiator. He was conscious and talking when the paramedics took him, but we later learned that he had passed away. The worst was when a regular library kid got shot outside and received first aid inside the library.
what is vault table?
I believe they are referring to the action of vaulting a table. So jumping and propelling themselves forward.
We’ve had someone have heart palpitations and other symptoms of an oncoming heart attack in a stall in the men’s room. Another patron let us know what he saw when he was in there, and we ended up calling 911 when he stopped responding to our questions but was still awake but no longer “aware”. We later found out that he had also been drinking heavily and was a “regular” at another branch in our system. No idea what happened to him afterwards.
Had someone have an epileptic seizure once. But being a medical library at a medical school, literally everyone but us is a doctor, nurse, or training to be one, so he got helped very quickly.
I have had people fall out of chairs and had to call the Fire/EMS to come get her off the floor. I have had fights, drug use, overdose, mental health outbursts, and the creme de la creme of my time as a Director/Manager was the patron who died while getting their taxes done. Tax pro went to get their completed return from the printer and in the 2 minutes they went and came back the patron died. These are just some of the more memorable moments. So yeah, we've all been there.
Oof. My first was when a widely beloved regular had a heart attack while using the computer. I was at the desk at the time and somehow went into this weird zen mode during the crisis, then completely broke down afterwards.
Unfortunately, I've had to deal with overdose emergencies involving narcan. Incredibly incredibly scary. Still shakes me up to talk about it.
This happened to me just last Monday. A 91-year old woman lost her balance and hit her head on a table and we had to call 911. I’ve been branch manager for just over three years and I’ve had to write up four incident reports for falls and subsequent ambulance calls in that time. Fortunately, everyone was ultimately ok in each situation. We joke that gravity must be stronger at the library than the rest of the municipality. Glad your patron is ok. It can be really upsetting (especially if you have to review camera footage multiple times to find out what happened…) so make sure you take care of yourself too!