Have you tried Cramster?

If you are heading off to college this fall, Mashable has compiled the 10 must-try social media sites for you. The list includes sites that help you find rides, study help, even a site that pays you to get good grades!

Check out the top 10
Cramster    InternshipRatings.com    Zimride    Box.net   Twitter
Remember the Milk    Gradefund    Evernote    Zumeo   CampusBooks

The College Choice

Picking a college isn’t easy and neither is the admissions process. From the multi-page application to the coveted “thick” envelope, applying to college can be quite an intimidating experience, not to mention figuring out how you’re going to pay for it.

The New York Times realized this and has created a blog to help ease the experience. Specifically written for those going through the college admissions process, The Choice blog promises to, “demystify college admissions and aid.”

In the blog’s first post, New York Times education writer, Jacques Steinberg outlines the The Choice blog’s goal:

“Our primary goal is straightforward: to demystify and illuminate an American rite of passage that typically occurs behind closed doors, whether it’s the doors to the university admissions office, or those of the homes of the applicants themselves.”

While New York Times writers contribute information about college stats, admissions and aid, a truly fascinating part of the blog is the six students chosen to write about their individual experiences. All of the six students are high-school seniors and are currently going through the college admissions process.

The Choice blog also wants your contribution. They want to know the outcome of your admissions endeavors, or as they state it “tell us what’s in your envelopes — fat and skinny — and whether the financial aid offers you’ve received are likely to meet your needs.”

You can access The Choice blog by going to http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/

CADL also has an abundant amount of college resources. Check our catalog for the following books. You can also stop by your local library or contact CADL’s reference department by calling (517) 367-6346.

The 75 Biggest Myths About College Admissions by Jerry Israel
The New Rules of College Admissions by Stephen Kramer
Winning the Heart of the College Admissions Dean by Joyce Slayton Mitchell

Make YOUR Voice Heard!

To help serve you better, CADL wants to know what Teen Programming you’d like to see at your local library! Maybe you’d like a club to talk about music … or a place to share original writing, art or poetry. Maybe you want a book group devoted to your favorite genre – like Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure or Mystery. Maybe you even have a great idea for a one-time special event you’d like to see happen at the library.

Whatever your hopes, suggestions or great ideas, we hope you’ll share them here by posting below. And if you want to chime in with support for someone else’s idea, that’s great, too! Just remember: along with your post, it would be helpful to include your grade and home library branch.

Summer Reading

Are you looking for some great books to enjoy during the last month or two of summer? Maybe you just finished the last installment of Harry Potter and you’re looking for something else. Perhaps you don’t like fantasy at all and are unsure of where you can find something that might appeal to you. Try some of the sources listed below and you should be able to find all sorts of books just right for you.

CADL reader’s newsletters – CADL staff put out almost 30 newsletters each month with great book suggestions. Many of these newsletters will undoubtedly appeal to you such as Teen Scene, which provides a sneak peek at some of our hottest new young adult titles, or Getting Graphic, which reviews a handful of graphic novel titles each month. There is even a newsletter that tells the reader what the CADL staff members are currently reading. Check out the newsletter page to subscribe to any that might would appeal to you.

YALSA Teens Top Ten – The Young Adult Library Services Association puts out a top ten list every year of Young Adult books chosen by your peers. You can browse the 06 and 05 titles, or you can view the list of nominations for this year. Make sure to check back during Teen Read Week (October 14-20, 2007) so you can vote for you favorite 2007 titles.

Flamingnet.com – “YA books by YA reviewers”. This is a great website where you can read reviews of books, old, new, and soon to be released, that might interest you. You can even look into becoming a reviewer your self if you are so inclined.

Teenreads.com – This site, which similar to Flamingnet, also provides reviews by teens and even lets you get in on the reviewing action. Check out some of there special features to find books that have become movies, or a how to guide on starting your own book club.

Finally, at any time you can stop in to your local library and the staff there will be glad to help you find exactly the book you’re looking for, even if you don’t know what that might be!

C-SPAN “Road to the White House”

On July 12, from 9am – noon in front of the State Capitol Building, downtown, you have the chance to be part of the C-SPAN “Road to the White House” tour. The campaign 2008 bus, which is a rolling, 45 foot television production studio, will be parked outside the Capitol building in order to promote the 2008 presidential campaign and C-SPAN’s coverage of it. The cool thing is that while they are here they want to talk specifically with middle school students, high school students, and first time voters, so that means you. Don’t miss your chance to experience a part of history in the making.