EBIGFY, Part Deux

What does it mean for libraries and educational organizations?

Well, if everything bad is good for you, then I think as librarians we need to be prepared to face the issue head on. Libraries need to understand current trends in gaming, TV, movies, and online resources, speak knowledgeably about them and help people who have interests in them. A wide variety of media needs to be available to the public to meet demand and interest. Even if "everything bad" really isn't all that great, assuming public interest is there, librarians should strive to meet it. Quite frankly, a lot of books are garbage too but it doesn't stop them from being stocked in a library!

For me, the key phrase in the second half of the book is that we need to have the ability to "adapt to adaptability." I think libraries are a prime example of organizations that have had to adapt during the past few decades. And, on a micro level, librarians need to be more prepared than ever to keep up with changing technologies that influence our popular culture.

I do think that we are becoming smarter in the IQ areas tested, but I'm not totally convinced it can be attributed to popular culture. Johnson proved that IQ's are going up, but there really isn't concrete evidence why. I'm also not certain that as a society we place value on those problem-solving and logic skills quite yet. Are they getting us into college? A new job? We're still jumping through the same hoops from past decades that rely on rote memorization and standardized testing to a large degree. It will be interesting to see if the influence of new media and technology changes any of that...