I write this blog for a number of reasons.
Sharing my ideas helps me clarify my thoughts. It helps me plant a seed to advance an idea or enlist your support. It also gives me the opportunity to introduce different aspects of the National Library of Medicine and its vast array of services.
And obviously, I write each post intending it to be read, but who exactly are my readers?
A coach once told me that, before I start any writing project, I must envision my readers. Here are the readers I envision right now:
Some of you are stakeholders of the Library and its products and services—researchers, clinicians, librarians, patrons, policy makers, and NLM staff members. Many of you have already shared your ideas, stimulated by some of my writings; I encourage more of you to do so!
Other readers are my loyal friends and professional colleagues who want to know what I’m up to in this phase of my life. These folks are more likely to tell me privately they’ve read the blog or they look forward to the next installment.
Still others find their way here through the power of connections and the exhortation to “read this.” That is, they might get a link to the blog post from someone who found an idea to be interesting, provocative, or maybe even wrong.
Wrong? Could there be someone who takes issue with or maybe even disagrees with a perspective I have advanced?
Of course. Probably a few someones.
I recognize that people may (and likely do) hold different perspectives on some of the ideas I’ve already advanced, such as providing information to people on the move or the sly bemusement I expressed regarding the Cold-War origins of the building. Sometimes I even hear from them. That’s why there’s space here for readers to talk back.
Bring it on, I say!
Because ultimately, the reason I write this blog is to engage with you.
What’s on your mind? You have the floor.