“Collaboration Is Key”: How Julie Broadbent Built an Award-Winning Secondary School Library

LoveReading4Schools spoke to Julie Broadbent, recently named Secondary School Librarian of the Year 2025 by the School Library Association, about the culture-shifting work behind her award-winning service. From partnerships and student leadership to consistency, collaboration and care, Julie shares what has made the greatest impact on her school community.

Q. What was the single most transformational change you made in your library service that contributed to winning this award?

A. It is really hard to pin this down to one single thing as it has taken three years of being in post to get to this point. I think that being listened to by my line managers and senior leaders and working together to provide a library service that best suits the needs and demands of the school. Introducing a structure within the school day that includes dedicated library lessons, opening at all social times and being very consistent in the delivery of the service that I provide for the school and our students.

Collaboration Is Key to Building an Award-Winning School Library

Q. How did you use partnerships (e.g., with public libraries or universities) to amplify your library’s impact?

A. I am a lone librarian in a large all-through school. I have two libraries, so partnerships have become paramount in amplifying the offer that we give to our students. For me, working collaboratively and developing professional relationships has been at the forefront in my managerial role at Northampton International Academy, and this was recognised by the School Library Association (SLA) judges.

Working with local community groups has helped raise the profile of reading throughout the school. We work with the local public library who have delivered assemblies about the Summer Reading Challenge and who have spoken to parents at our ‘booknics’ to encourage book borrowing from the local library. They have also helped deliver Manga and Anime sessions for our learners too. These connections create a positive experience for our students with books and reading. We work with the Northamptonshire Children’s Book Group, part of the Federation of Children’s book groups, as a testing school and this means that our readers have access to the latest books and get to have a say in the Children’s Book Awards, which they do feel invested in. The NCBG have also hosted author events for us and book swaps. All of these events and the input from our local community helps to create a positive culture of reading.

For our KS4 and KS5 students my timetable did not allow for me to deliver study/information skills sessions, so we have been working collaboratively with our colleagues at the University of Northampton. Not only have they worked with our students hosting study skills sessions, but they have also provided UCAS support and various enrichment/STEM sessions over the academic year. They also funded our Sixth Form Reading Leaders on the Coram Beanstalk reading programme to support our younger readers. This then led to the University providing SATS resources for our year 6 students along with other enrichment opportunities. I would not be able to do all of these sessions, so this relationship is hugely important for our learners. It broadens students’ cultural capital and raises their aspirations by interacting with our professional University colleagues, who hone and deliver relevant and useful sessions for our students.

We have also been working with a local charity, The McCarthy Dixon Foundation. Again, working within our local community our students have been involved in collaborating with elderly adults. They worked on the Poetry Together project and following on from this we have participated in their Intergenerational Stories Programme.

So, partnerships with local organisations in our community has really supported and amplified what we have been able to give to our students. There can be so much for young people to do in the local community, sometimes you do not need to go far afield to improve your students’ cultural capital and wider experiences.

Q. Could you share one measurable outcome (student engagement, circulation rise, reading for pleasure uptake) that you’re particularly proud of?

A. As my experience as a librarian had been mainly in secondary school libraries, I wanted to look at how the library was impacting our primary students. So to measure impact for our primary school learners we recently did a reading for pleasure survey and the headlines that came out were:

91% of pupils like and love reading
78% of pupils think they are good readers
86% of pupils like reading at home or at school
97% of pupils think their teacher loves reading

I also do consider our borrower loan statistics and look at trends in student borrowing across both libraries.

Building a Safe Space

Q. How did you make the library a “safe space” beyond being simply a room with books - and what was the effect on students?

A. I greet every child at the entrance to the library when they enter. I try not to get stuck behind my desk. This is where our student librarians really come into their own as they run the issuing desk. For me it is really about positive relationships, establishing a good routine, being consistent and students understanding the expectations that you have when they use and access the library.

Again, at social times I am always present to welcome students, I have a really quick conversation, what would you like to do today? What is your purpose today? It is so simple but really does work and helps engage with every student who enters the library.

At first the students were not used to this but now it is part of the daily routine. Students love to come to the library; they know the expectations on them and other students. The students who use the library are there for a purpose. I work really hard to foster a calm, supportive environment where students feel seen and heard. I think being the example that you want to set is important too. This in turn creates a safe, nurturing environment where students feel supported.

Curating An Inclusive Collection of Books

Q. How did you curate your collection to reflect the whole school community - and what difference did that make?

A. Before my appointment, a school librarian had not been in post for over a year. So, when I arrived at Northampton International Academy there was quite a bit of work to do to get both school libraries up and running. But in a way this helped me to get a clear picture of what needed to be done. Working closely with my line manager and SLT has been paramount in contributing to the development of both library collections. I have worked closely with my line managers for their support in funding our books stock. We believe as a school that it is so important that our books are chosen with representation in mind. We are a diverse school community, and I believe our book stock reflects this. Our readers must see themselves within the books that we have and again this really helps promote reading across the school community. Also listening to what students are engaged in and what they want to read really helps develop our collections too. This makes a huge difference in students’ attitudes towards reading too. Having a diverse collection not only enhances the readers’ experience of reading for pleasure but also readers are more empathetic and understanding of the world around them.

Engaging Staff in a Reading for Pleasure Culture

Q. What strategies did you implement to engage staff and not just students in developing the reading culture?

A. All staff and teachers have access to both libraries. Whether that be for whole classes or small group work. I think that working relationships with colleagues are so important. As a lone-librarian collaboration with everyone is key because together we can create a positive environment where staff and students feel supported. I am always open to ideas to help support all. For me both libraries belong as much to the staff as they do to the students.

With regards to developing a reading culture in secondary school I have worked closely with our literacy team to recommend books for tutor time reading. We use the Accelerated Reader programme to encourage reading for pleasure. Students are rewarded for their reading. This is recognised in assemblies, or with house points, postcards home and days out. Teachers get to see how well their students are engaging in reading activities and this then creates a positive culture centred around reading. We also like to get teachers involved in our author events and our reading pioneers (student reading committee) do big book giveaways and host whole school assemblies. Our staff really do embrace and value the importance of a positive reading culture.

In our primary school each class teacher chooses a reader of the week from their class, we host books and breakfast with our families. We also have book fairs and booknics, along with author events and visitors from our local library, we also have a staff book group. All of these activities help us as a staff body to engage and this positively impacts the reading culture across the school.

Q. What was the biggest challenge you faced in developing the service and how did you overcome it?

A. Personally, for me it was time management and understanding my limitations because in the beginning I wanted to do it all. However, this was just not sustainable. The struggle that I had was creating a timetable where we could fit everything in whilst giving a service of value to the students and staff. The problem being that I am a lone-librarian and managing two libraries both of which have timetabled library lessons and both of which are required to be open at social times.

From the outset we had to get the structure to lessons right, get the library times opening right and be open at break and lunchtimes. I had to have open and honest dialogue with my line manager, SLT and Head Teacher. Having discussions about how we could fit everything in and how we could make it work. I am so grateful for the understanding and support that I have. Myself and my managers were aware of what we needed as a school and we worked collaboratively to make it work. In the beginning there were challenges, changes had to be made, support had to be put in place, but three years on we have made it work and I am so pleased with the offer that we give our young people.

Three Priorities to Build a Reading Culture in Secondary School

Q. If another secondary school library wanted to replicate your “reading culture build” in 12 months, what three things would you advise they prioritise?

A. Firstly, collaboration is key. No one person can create a reading culture by themselves without the help and support of the staff that you work with, your line managers, Literacy lead, SLT and Head Teacher. You have to work closely with your managers, let your voice be heard and explain how the library can support and create a positive reading culture. Be open and accessible for all and embed library lessons into your curriculum. All students in primary school currently have a library lesson either once or twice a fortnight, our year 7 and 8 students have a library lesson once a fortnight. I work with our English teachers to deliver library lessons, and we work together to build a reading culture. My advice would be to have a plan and be persistent.

Funding and developing the right collections for your school is vital. You want children to be excited to borrow books from the library. No one size fits all when it comes to reading, we must take into consideration the needs of the reader. Are the books that you hold accessible? Ideally the books that you have will engage, enthuse and encourage students to read on and keep them coming back for more. With 2026 as the UK’s National Year of Reading this major government led campaign will rightly see developing a reading culture at the forefront. This gives librarians the opportunity to use their skills and knowledge to be included and recognised for their importance in this campaign.

Having live in person author and illustrator events has also proven to be so successful for our students in creating a positive culture of reading. We have welcomed some amazing authors who have included Onjali Rauf and Nathaneal Lessore. Again, having access to author events here at Northampton International Academy has really created a positive culture around books and reading. Listening, meeting and interacting with acclaimed and award-winning authors has raised the aspirations of our readers. These events really do inspire a love of reading and writing and have such a positive impact on our students well after the event has finished.

Student-led Library Activities

Q. What role did student-led activities play in your approach - and did anything surprise you about them?

A. I would say our Reading Pioneers committee has been the most successful student-led initiative that I have ever done in any school. This afterschool group started three years ago and began with myself, my line manager and three students. We were all just enthusiastic and excited about reading. It has now grown and flourished beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. We now have around forty members and are recognised by our whole school body, SLT and our school trust as being one of the most successful school committees, spreading the joy of books and reading.

We have been involved in some fantastic projects in school, in the community and across the country. We have attended the Lit in Colour conference, attended author and illustrator workshops, delivered assemblies at our school and at our trust schools about the importance of reading. We have reviewed books for various publishers, shadow the Carnegies and vote in the Children’s Book Awards. Hosted our big book giveaways and book swaps.

We have also been working on a very special project with a local charity The McCarthy Dixon Foundation. We worked with them previously on the Poetry Together project and this year we were approached to be part of their Intergenerational Stories Programme. The aim of this is to bring generations together through the power of storytelling, creating meaningful connections between young people and older adults in our community. Our Reading Pioneers were paired with older adults and have interviewed, recorded and documented their life stories.

After working together over a number of sessions the project will culminate in a curated exhibition and each story will be archived to create a lasting digital legacy. It really has given our young people the chance to develop empathy and confidence while giving older adults the opportunity to have their voices heard. This has been storytelling at its most powerful.

This reading committee has really surprised me in that they are all so inspirational. They are passionate about spreading the joy and benefits of reading and are happy to allow that passion and enthusiasm to come through. For me they spur me on to do a better job and I feel privileged to continue to work with these amazing young people.

Q. How are you ensuring sustainability of this transformation so the gains don’t fade with changes in leadership or staffing?

A. At the moment consistency in establishing good routines has been key. This does not mean being complacent but sustaining our current offer is really important. I do work closely with SLT to ensure that our gains remain steadfast and constant. I have regular meetings with our managers to ensure that we continue to strive to provide the best services for our students.

However, I am always looking at ways in which we can improve our offer, looking at the latest research and reflecting on my own practice. I do look at ways in which we can inspire our young people to continue to enjoy reading. I do reflect on any changes and look at ways of how we can make improvements. I would add that working in a school environment we have to be adaptable to change as that is the nature of working in a school. However, it is important to our success that we have our leadership team on board with a joint vision for the library. Our priority is to ensure that students have access to books, and literature and feel supported on their reading journey.

Applications are now open for the Secondary School Librarian of the Year Award

Julie’s reflections underline that a thriving school library is built on relationships, representation and relentless collaboration. Her work shows how a clear vision, strong partnerships and student voice can transform reading culture at scale. With applications now open for the Secondary School Librarian of the Year Award 2026, her journey offers both inspiration and practical guidance for librarians looking to make lasting change.

Applications are now open for the Secondary School Librarian of the Year Award, now in its 21st year. Find out more here. The deadline to receive nominations is 9am on 16th February 2026