Calgary Public Library’s (CPL) Central branch was no stranger to “challenging incidents.” Verbal abuse, intoxication, and emergencies increased in number and complexity during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing down frontline staff, said Mary Graham, service delivery manager at CPL. After a traumatic incident in 2022, however, library leaders knew that more support was needed.
At “Don’t Just Shake it Off: Using Debriefing Tools to Support Front-line Library Staff,” a standing room-only session on June 28 at the American Library Association’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia, Graham shared how CPL implemented debriefing tools to help staff cope with stressful situations at all branches. She was joined by Becky Potter, CPL library experience supervisor.
“Customer service is hard work. It’s some of the hardest work we do,” Potter said. CPL staff are trained to approach interactions with empathy, but must also ensure that the library remains a safe and equitable space for all. These occasionally competing priorities can lead to difficult interactions, she added: “If they get yelled at or threatened… we know staff bring that home with them.”
Graham and Potter realized that debriefing was already happening informally in the staff room and around water coolers, but it wasn’t formalized or structured. Their goal was to provide a form of support that would allow frontline workers to process incidents and return to their baseline. The hope is to break the cycle in which “you have a small incident, and maybe the same day you have another small incident… and then all of a sudden you’re fed up with everybody and you don’t want to do this anymore,” said Potter.
CPL rolled out a formalized debriefing process gradually, working to earn staff buy-in by explaining its purpose and asking for feedback. While Central and other inner-city library staff were quick to adopt the format, suburban libraries in the system often didn’t begin debriefing until a more severe incident occurred, according to Potter.
Debriefing is a time to:
- Process what happened
- Prevent rumination
- Shed stress
- Prevent things from building up
- Connect staff with additional resources/outside support
The debriefing process includes guiding questions and is designed to remind staff that they did their best and they are supported. The meetings are intended to be only 5–15 minutes. Longer conversations, Potter noted, tend to get into areas that require professional mental health training.
At CPL, supervisors typically provide debriefs, though they can also happen between peers. Some practical tips for handling a debrief include getting in the right headspace to listen and validate, having water and tissues available, being prepared for awkwardness, turning off screens and muting messages, avoiding engaging in training or second-guessing, having information on additional resources, and having a wrap-up prepared. If people are stuck or it’s taking more than 15 minutes, it may be best to refer them to outside help. “Sometimes listening to these situations can be really hard,” said Graham—so it’s also important have someone you can debrief with if you’re the debriefer.
“What is stressful can be quite subjective,” Graham added. As the debriefing process was becoming part of staff culture, leaders were concerned that some staff members might not accept that others were taking time off the floor because they needed it, not because they wanted an extra little break in their day. However, Graham soon noticed that other staff members were often the first to recognize when a colleague needed a debrief and would advocate for them to step away.
“We did not get everything right in the beginning,” Graham noted. One library staffer experienced an incident where the police were called, which led to them debriefing to a supervisor about the original incident, then again about talking to the police, and then again with another concerned administrator the next day. You need to be very purposeful so a staff member doesn’t have to tell their story over and over again, which can be re-traumatizing, Graham said.
Overall, the formalized debriefing process has been a benefit for the library. Supervisors are better able to support their staff members and notice more quickly when they are run down and may need additional time or support.
Plus, staff are self-advocating now, Potter said. “They’re much better at saying ‘I had a hard interaction, I need to step off the floor.’”
