The holidays are only beginning, but for those of you who like to plan ahead (or intend to improve that skill in 2009!), here are some sites that might help you be a better you in 2009!

Resolution: Lose weight and/or improve physical fitness

Body by Glamour is Glamour Magazine’s self-improvement plan.

The President’s Challenge is sponsored by the Presidential Fitness Council and has tips for getting the whole family involved in fitness-related activities.

Find recipes for healthy dishes at allrecipes.com, Cooking Light, or the Mayo Clinic.

Resolution: Quit smoking

Check out the resources the federal government has put together at smokefree.gov.

Resolution: Volunteer more.

Try services like Volunteer Match and Idealist.org to look for organizations seeking volunteers. If you would like to volunteer at your local KDL branch, please contact your local branch for information on volunteering.

Resolution: Go Green!

There are lots of great suggestions for local and global resources at KDL’s Living Green in West Michigan wiki.

Resolution: Get Organized!

Whether you just need the help of an online calendar, such as Google Calendar, or if this is the year you finally set up RSS feeds for all your favorite blogs, there are plenty of sites available to help you stay on top and organized.

What is your New Year’s Resolution and what sites have have helped you reach your goal?

A popular question during the school year is “How do I find books appropriate for my (or my child’s) Lexile/Accelerated Reader level?”

One way to find books within a certain Lexile range is to use KDL’s NoveList database. (If you’re not in a KDL branch, you will want to have your library card handy!) Under Advanced Search, there is the option to limit your search by reading, grade, and Lexile ranges (amongst other nifty options).

If your school uses the Accelerated Reader (AR) program, try AR BookFinder. Click on Student and then click Submit. On the Search page, one of the tabs is Advanced Search. Advanced Search will allow you to search a range of “ATOS Book Levels,” for example 4.5-4.9.  

Once you have found a book that sounds great using NoveList or AR BookFinder, be sure to check KDL’s catalog to find a copy.

Your school may have paired with the nearest KDL branch to offer AR tests at the library. Contact your KDL branch to see if they offer this option, and you may be able to take AR tests after school or on weekends!

Hi, Teens! With the 2008 Presidential election getting closer every day, we wondered who you were supporting this year: John McCain or Barack Obama? Take our poll and let us know, or leave a message in the comments!

If you’d like to learn more about the candidates, try searching our catalog for McCain and Obama.

Hey, teens! It’s Teen Read Week and this year’s theme is “Books with Bite @ your library!” The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has put together a printable booklist, so be sure to check out some of their suggestions. The KDL staff also picked some favorites.  Have you read any of these? Let us know which ones were really “books with bite!”

This would also be a great week to see the movie Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, based on the book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. (They also collaborated on Naomi and Ely’s No-Kiss List.)

Often people will visit the library wondering how they can edit their digital photographs. One of the simplest (and totally free!) services to use is Luna Pic.

I use Luna Pic the most to crop pictures, reduce the dreaded red-eye effect, and to adjust the brightness of my images. If you were so inclined, you could also give yourself a virtual tan and erase any skin imperfections. Another handy feature is the ability to convert images from color to black and white or sepia tones. 

A similar service is Picnik, but I like Luna Pic for its simplicity and because you don’t need the newest version of Flash to use it.  It is a great option for those times when you just need to edit an image quickly or for someone who is not fully tech-savvy.

So, what is your favorite online photo editor?

Hi teens! For the month of October, Kent District Library will have an online survey posted so you can let us know how we are doing.

If you prefer, your local branch will have paper copies too. Thanks for your feedback!

If you’re anything like me, you LOVED The Luxe when it came out at the end of 2007. Well, I have great news then, because its sequel, Rumors, comes out on June 3rd. You could be one of the first people to get it from the library if you put it on hold now.

If you’re a fan of the Twilight series and waiting for Breaking Dawn to come out in August, you might want to give the Luxe series a try. It would be also be a great book to start the Summer Reading Club with!

No, Tigers players won’t be making personal appearances (Sorry!), but we have the next best thing! Some reading suggestions to help celebrate the Tigers’ recent wins (It’s only April after all):

Teen Fiction:

Heat by Mike Lupica
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge
Baseball Crazy: Ten Short Stories That Cover All the Bases.
Beanball by Gene Fehler
Hard Hit by Anne Turner

Nonfiction:

Baseball by Alan Smith
Power Basics of Baseball by Bill Polick
Surviving Little League for Players, Parents and Coaches by Leslie Edgerton

Specifically about the Tigers:

Out of Nowhere: The Detroit Tigers Magical 2006 Season by George Cantor
Tales from the Detroit Tigers Dugout by Jack Ebling
Tiger Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan! By George Cantor

 Also, the American Library Association runs a yearly triva contest called Step Up to the Plate! Entries most be postmarked by September 1, 2008 and recieved by September 12, 2008. One national winner will win a trip to Cooperstown, NY to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. Some resources you might find answers to the trivia questions in might be The best book of baseball facts & stats 2005, Total Baseball Trivia, The Baseball Encyclopedia: The Complete and Definitive Record of Major League Baseball, and Total Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia.

 Who’s Your Tiger?

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? We’ve put together a list of the KDL staff’s favorite teen poetry books. Take a look and let us know in the comments if we’ve missed your favorite(s).

We’re also running a Poetry Contest for students ages 13-18. The deadline is April 30, 2008, so you still have plenty of time to enter. Good luck!

Happy Poetry Month!

It’s that time of year again–Spring Break!

If you’re going to be in Kent County, why not stop by the Kentwood branch and check out their Anime Festival this Saturday (April 5th) at 1 p.m.?

Anime not your thing? Then why not check out the Wii Tournament at the Cascade branch Saturday the 12th at 2 p.m.? You still have time to brush up on your skills in bowling, boxing, and tennis in time for the Wii Sports tournament!

And if you’re headed for someplace warm, don’t forget to stop by your nearest KDL branch and stock up on books, music, and movies for the trip. 

Have a great break and don’t forget to wear sunscreen!