Gimme-a-Break!

Abstract

The “Gimme-a-Break Button” poster represents the hybrid (online & offline) library service co-created with students studying in Midden Brabant Library (the Netherlands). The core idea is a hybrid service, which stimulates unexpected encounters amongst the target group. The way it works is that students press the (physical) button when they need a break. An (on-screen) carousel reacts – it spins and picks a break activity for them. Some of the options are single-student activities, whilst others are done together. Examples of activities are – colouring, listening to records, playing hopscotch or Mario Kart, amongst others. Study breaks are linked to productivity. Combining study breaks with making friends makes studying (in the library) more fun. This offers a range of secondary benefits for the students as well. They range from increasing a sense of belonging, to building a network, to sharing social capital and increasing social cohesion. That, in turn, contributes to more sustainable and resilient communities and cities and helps to reduce inequalities. The aim of the poster is not only to present the break button and its value, but also the process and methodology used to co-create and design it in collaboration with our community.