In my library lessons with Year 7-9 students last year I really wanted to focus more on the important slice of time I dedicate for students to read during our session. A chunk of each lesson is dedicated to activities, with the remainder saved for reading time. However, building these patterns and habits was something I was just starting consistently with all students, and I also knew I had to break down some of the biggest barriers to students reading, including the ability for them to select a book. So BRB time was born.
It’s simple really, and no different to what is done in library sessions around the country and probably world. BRB stands for Browsing, Reading and Borrowing. A good 15 – 25 minutes for students to browse, find books, select books to borrow and to read, find a spot to sit and read and then to borrow.
Why give it a name?
I wanted a catchy name for this time so that students would value, recognise and be familiar with the time dedicated for reading. Having a name for it and using it consistently made it really easy for students to connect with it. And you have to be pleased when they get excited when you say it’s BRB time. I’ve even had a class tell me I was eating into their BRB time and it was time to wrap things up.
Building the habit
I started the year by outlining what BRB time would be the expectations I had for what students could do in this time. I modelled browsing and we practiced different book selection techniques. For the next few sessions and regularly throughout the year, I would reinforce these messages, reminding students of what was expected during the BRB time.
Browsing
I deliberately included browsing in this time for a number of reasons. First, I wanted students to be intentional in their browsing. I’m sure we’ve all had those students who can manage to wander aimlessly for 20 minutes and end the session never opening a book. I wanted students to know the browsing part of this session was just as important as the reading and that meant there were skills to be learnt. We discussed how we might like to browse in stores or online and we practiced those skills in the library, picking books up to read the summaries, judging books by their covers and using the library catalogue to do some online browsing. We discussed sampling chapters at the shelve and making recommendations to those around us. We also discussed that while browsing can be enjoyable and it’s worth spending the time to do it correctly, rather than just grabbing a book, we needed to leave time in our BRB time for the R and other B.
Reading
My one requirement was that all students found a book, magazine, audiobook or some form of reading material to read during a session. I don’t require all students to borrow but they must all read. I do sometimes wish my reading sessions were peaceful silent areas of students all engaged in a book, but I also knew I had to build these habits and reading looks different for all students. Some of my best reading sessions were actually the noisiest, when a group of students were gathered around a book and reading aloud to each other, or when a reluctant group of year 9s were taking turns reading picture books. Some sessions were quieter, with students asked to read independently, but I also value and allow social reading. There were some students who would consistently try to duck this time of the session, spending too long browsing, so they became my focus, working with them one-on-one to try and find them a book that would work for them.
Borrowing
We ask students to borrow at the end of the lesson, giving them enough time to try a book before committing to borrowing it, and also giving more time to my Library Tech to continue her work before needing to assist students with borrowing at the end of each lesson. I don’t force students to borrow, but I do everything I can to encourage them to borrow.
Modelling and teacher support
This model of course works best when I had teacher support. Some teachers were incredible in their support and reinforcement of this time, recognising students for their good book choice, and encouraging students to engage with the books they had selected.
During the BRB time, I made sure to assist students but to also model reading. Sometimes that meant browsing with the student to help them find a book and other times it meant reading as I walked, monitoring the students and for some classes I could grab a seat and enjoy reading a few pages. I made sure to read a variety of texts, fiction, poetry, graphic novels and non-fiction.
Having a library space and collection split across two floors can be challenging, so I’d often ask the teachers to stay upstairs with their class and get them settled reading, while I went to monitor and assist students who had moved to explore the collections downstairs. This was most successful with teachers who reinforced the expectations and routine.
Things I’m changing this year
I’m continuing our BRB time this year for my lessons and I try to make this time as long and consistent as I can. I’ve learnt students really value it. I also try to make sure I’m providing a really nice area for reading, so we created a reading nook where students can find lounges, bean bags and reading chairs. I’m hoping it’s a space students will enjoy retreating to during our lessons and will return to before and after school and during break times to continue their reading.
