March 2 - 8 is Teen Tech Week at your local library!

    Teen Tech Week is a national campaign to help teenagers, their parents, and teachers become smarter and more proficient technology users. But hey, you're a teenager in the 21st century, surely you're at the cusp of knowing everything there is to know about technology. Well, think again.

    Do you know what kinds of resources your local library has that you can't find easily on the net? Their collection of DVDs, databases, audio books, CDs, even video games, are guaranteed resources often left untapped by teenagers. Not only can these collections be useful and incredibly creative ways of researching an ordinary hum-drum paper, but they could be great places for you and your friends to find a treasure you might not find elsewhere. Because, after all, the whole point of libraries is to be a massive collection of new and past information. And the whole point of current media? Well, to always be new. How limited and small-minded!

    This year's Teen Tech Week theme is Tune In @ Your Library. This means your local librarians should have all kinds of activities planned to help teach you (and maybe your less tech-savvy parents) how to make the most of music and media collections. Think of it - your next oral report on African-American history could be accompanied by a snip of an African-American folk song you checked out from your library. Is that an A I see on your paper?

    Number Crunching: In 2005, studies showed that 88% of youth between 8-18 had a computer in their home, and 74% had internet access. You spend upwards of 6 hours and 21 minutes using media of some kind per day, and 71% of you report that the internet is your primary resource when completing school projects. Those are no small potatoes. We are a culture of media users, and that trend is only going to grow exponentially. But if the user is limited, so will be the media. Become a smarter technology user, and check out what local programs your library has to offer during Teen Tech Week.

    P.S. In April Teen Ink is doing a special College issue, so send us your college essays, personal statements, or college reviews. Tell us about what it was like visiting a certain campus, or about how stressful or inspiring it is to apply to college. You can submit your work by clicking here.

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