From the Chair

Abstract

I was a folklorist before I was a librarian. And that means the first thing that comes to mind when I hear ‘round table’ isn’t ALA organizational structure, but Arthurian legend. While those things might feel worlds apart, a folklorist will tell you that legends are ostensibly historical stories that can provide an interpretive framework for contemporary experiences, the way we talk about the past is how we make sense of the present. So I think that stories of Arthur and his knights can provide relevant perspectives on GODORT and its greater role. I don’t just mean that government information librarians are heroic figures, though I won’t correct anyone else who says so, I mean that thinking about round table narratives can help us better understand round table realities.