Editorial

Abstract

Welcome to the first edition of Synergy for 2014. While Synergy is not a themed journal, I am sometimes surprised by how our contributors appear to conspire to make it so! The result is a journal with a noticeable theme; as if articles were meant to go together. Such a discussion, or focus, is evident in this edition. In Synergy this time, we have a number of pieces that are grappling with different viewpoints on what a school library should be in a dynamic world. Our wonderful Dr. Ross Todd, in his regular Reflections and Actions section, explores how the imperative of social justice impacts upon the school libraries we create, particularly in areas of disadvantage. Anne Whisken, in her Learning Landscapes section, continues her discussion around how we design spaces and what types of spaces we need in school libraries. One of our Global pieces, by David V. Loertscher and Carol Koechlin, considers the concept of the library as a learning commons and what this might look like. In her welcome contribution to our Global section, and following her recent conference presentation in May, Dr Carol Gordon builds on her research to explore her view on the library of the future. As well as these thought-provoking articles, we publish an example of a newly-designed space close to home with Kris Paterson describing the recently-opened middle years library in the Urwin Centre for Learning at Brighton Grammar School.