The Primary Library is an integral part of our students’ learning experience and a comfortable and inviting space to spend quiet time reading. All classes in the Primary school have a weekly Library lesson, in which students can exchange their library books. In addition, students in Key Stage 1 are read to by the Librarian or the Assistant Librarian. To help foster the love of reading from a young age, students are encouraged to exchange their books more frequently than during their weekly Library lesson.

Students are taught important library skills such as taking care of books, keeping the library tidy, and shelving books. In Key Stage 2, students learn about using the Dewey Decimal System to locate books, using reference books like dictionaries and atlases, and research skills for using the online library catalogue and quality digital databases. These activities form part of a school-wide BBIS Library Skills continuum.

The Library houses an up-to-date and continually growing collection, comprising almost 4,000 books for children aged three to 11 years old. These titles have been specially selected to appeal to our students, support the curriculum, and/or promote reading for pleasure. Most titles are in English, although books in other mother tongues are being added to the collection. 

The Primary Library is open to Key Stage 2 students every morning break time and at lunchtimes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We aim to make the Primary Library an exciting yet calm sanctuary for our younger students, where they can get lost in the magical world of reading.

Earlier this year we were able to open the doors to our brand-new, custom-designed Secondary Library! The space has been carefully designed to be flexible and ensure its suitability to accommodate a growing collection of age and interest appropriate texts for our current MYP, and from next year onwards, our DP students.

All students in the Secondary school have one timetabled lesson in the Library per week, in which they learn and practice skills relating to using the Library and its resources, and by doing so, developing their ATL skills in Research, Thinking and Communication.

The collection of titles available in the Secondary Library has been selected to support the IB Middle Years Programme fully, and as the collection grows, the Diploma Programme. Students are supported by the Library when researching for the Personal Project in MYP5, and similarly will be for the Extended Essay in DP.

As well as the continually growing collection of books held in the Library, students have the opportunity to research a number of quality digital resources BBIS subscribes to, such as the Gale In Context: Middle School, Global Issues and Opposing Viewpoints, as well as Britannica School.

To encourage further research and reading for pleasure, the Library is open every day at break and lunchtimes, with a plan to extend this time to include before and after school during club time. There are also plans to create a calendar of events for students, parents, and community members for book-related and cultural events and workshops, which will help establish the Secondary Library as much more than a school library, but a welcoming hub for the whole community.