Popular search engine Google has had its share of headline moments recently. First with a successful IPO, and now with the announcement that it is taking the libraries of Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, the University of Oxford and the New York Public Library on a ride through virtual reality.

“Even before we started Google, we dreamed of making the incredible breadth of information that librarians so lovingly organize searchable online,” said Larry Page, Google co-founder and president of products.

Google made the announcement late last year that it was working with these prestigious libraries to digitally scan books from their collections so users worldwide can search them in Google. Copyrighted material will have only an excerpt online, while all others will be on the Web cover to cover. Although the project has a long journey before it is complete (one USA Today article projected a five- to ten-year time frame), the announcement alone has raised questions about the future role of libraries.

“The idea that the world’s knowledge, as held through books and libraries, is opening up to all via a Web browser cannot be understated,” said John Battelle, professor at the University of California - Berkeley.

Google’s virtual library does more than make millions of books available online. It introduces Web users to millions of books they didn’t know existed, especially books that are no longer in print. But because of the copyright laws, users will still have to visit libraries to actually read any books they find.

According to Rob Enderle, an independent analyst with The Enderle Group, “search engines will be where more readers will find out about books, instead of at the bookstore.” Others see the Google library as a way to rejuvenate traditional library use.

Dean of Libraries at the University of Kentucky, Carol Pitts Diedrichs, hopes that Google’s new program to put thousands of texts online will drive readers back to where they once started: the library. “People don’t sit at a computer and read a book much,” Diedrichs said. “What we hope it [Google library] will do is drive users to us to use our collections.”

Not everyone sees an online library as a boost for traditional library use. For those who rely on time in the library, such as students, the prospect of a virtual library means greater ease with studying and accessing needed materials.

“If it was possible to access things online without leaving my room, that would be a huge help,” said senior Stanford student, Will Oremus. “For research papers, there are lots of books you can only get at the library. It would be really cool to get them on your computer.” Making it to the library has proven difficult for him, as he is usually not free to hit the library until well after it closes.

The $150 million project will change the face of information on the Internet no matter what role it plays in the future of promoting libraries or making them obsolete. An online library brings credibility to the massive amounts of information found on the Internet. Not many can successfully argue against more reliable search results.

Susan Wojcicki, Google’s director of product management, believes indexing library books is a plus for everyone, and an advantage for Google. “If we offer a better search engine, that will lead to more users,” Wojcicki said.

That is exactly what Google hopes will happen as it forges ahead in the quest to digitize the most popular and the most obscure books for the world to share.

You have some schools in mind. You have the will. You have good grades. You even have that sweatshirt that has ?COLLEGE? on it. But in the money department, there?s much to be done. It has become obvious that you?re going to need financial help.
Is there any chance you could get a free ride to college? It’s not easy, says Barry W. Simmons, director of the office of scholarships and financial aid at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia.

“Unless you can score a 1600 on the SAT or can run faster and jump higher than anyone else, there aren’t many ‘full rides’ out there,” he says. “It’s a matter of supply and demand.”

Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and co-author of The Prentice Hall Guide to Scholarships and Fellowships for Math and Science Students, agrees by saying that true full rides to college are very rare, and because of this, the people who are ?in it to win it? are fierce competitors for the rewards.

How do you start?
Your best bet is to make a potent financial combination from a variety of aid, including scholarships, grants and financial awards. You?re going to have to search for quite a while and work your charm, but it can pay off. “If a student has been thorough in their research and used scholarship search tools, they will find many opportunities,” Simmons says. Another tip he has is that ?too much is never enough.? Check to see if you can “bank” any excess awards for future years, Simmons says. Many come in lump sums that can be tucked away into savings accounts to make the long haul much easier during your education experience.

But Ben Kaplan, who is an author of scholarship application tip books, believes that students with initiative, resolve and creativity can cut their college costs tremendously. He knows what he?s talking about. Kaplan won $90,000 in scholarships from a large collection of programs after applying for more than 30 different awards. “Colleges are giving more and more aid to ’special’ students, including merit scholarships and preferential packages of need-based aid,” he says.

Where is a scholarship an average joe can earn?
In case it wasn?t stated clearly enough before, there are lots of places for you to look. Great scholarships are easier to find these days, thanks to the Web. The flip side of this is that there are more of your competitors using these tools as well. So get started!

Community service based scholarships:
http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/service.phtml
Scholarships for average students:
http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/average.phtml
Unusual scholarships:
http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/unusual.phtml
Full tuition scholarships (So you?re an average joe. You can dream big!):
http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/academicscholarships.phtml

The Planning Stage

Most families pay for college using a combination of savings, current earnings and financial aid. How do you reduce financial worries and save money?
Start saving early!

? Saving early and regularly gives compound interest time to accumulate to your benefit.
? By starting early, you can save smaller amounts over a longer period of time.
? Early planning allows you to save for both education and retirement.
? Early investing helps students complete college with less debt.
? Having a larger college fund gives students a broader range of college choices.

When searching for scholarships, contact:
? Clubs
? Businesses
? Churches
? Social organizations

Usually, the above types of scholarships are not widely publicized. This means they have fewer applicants, which equals higher odds of winning for you! Don?t forget to ask your local high school counselor, librarian and college financial aid office for direction. Remember ? helping students locate financial aid is part of their job, and they help people like you every day. They can be your best source of help!

Related Quick Facts

? Sixty-three percent of all undergraduates enrolled in 2003?04 received some type of financial aid.
? Undergraduates were more likely to receive grants than student loans in 2003?04, but the average grant amount was less than the average student loan amount.
? About one-half (51 percent) of undergraduates received grants and about one-third (35 percent) took out student loans.
? The average amount of grants received was $4,000, and the average amount borrowed by undergraduates in 2003?04 was $5,800.
? Undergraduates enrolled in 2003?04 were more likely to receive federal grants than grants from any other source.
? An alternative source for grants can come from employers, parents? employers or private foundations.

Finding Scholarships and Grants

? Your prospective school may award scholarships based on academic performance, but this doesn?t have to be the only measurement of worth.
? Ethnic heritage organizations often provide scholarships to exceptional students sharing their ethnic or cultural backgrounds.
? Employers will many times offer scholarships to their employees or to children or spouses of employees.
? Churches, synagogues, temples and religious denominations offer scholarships for students who are a part of their congregations or are planning a career in the clergy.
? Trade and research organizations sponsor scholarships to attract students to a field of study facing a worker shortage or to encourage returning, international or minority students to work toward a specific degree.

For many recent college and university graduates, the real work is just beginning. After the tests, papers and projects are completed, graduates must find a job, preferably in their chosen career fields, and make the transition from students to working professionals. To add more pressure to the job search, many graduates are finding that relocation is necessary to find jobs.

For decades, graduates have known that to work in films or technology, they needed to live in California; to pursue theater or broadcast and print journalism, New York was the best bet. Now, more industries are following suit. A growing trend of industry-specific regional employment means that returning home or finding work where graduates went to school is unlikely.

Relocation is rarely an easy thing for even a seasoned veteran. Compound that with a lack of current income, fewer companies offering relocation costs, and more graduates competing for a handful of jobs, and you have a sticky relocation situation. There are some things you can do to improve your chances of finding the perfect job and successfully relocating to a new city.

Planning is key to a successful relocation job search. You must look at the job market to see where the jobs in your industry are concentrated, determine the cost of living in that area, explore the area to see what it has to offer someone in your age group with your likes and interests, and consider what would be involved in searching for a job and relocating to that area.

For graphic designer Angie Huse, relocation was the best option. “Being from a small city in Nebraska, I knew I had to look for jobs in another city,” said Huse. “Career opportunity was bigger in Kansas City.” Huse used the Internet and the career services office at her school to locate her job at an advertising firm.

“When quantifying the number of people who actually obtain their jobs through the Internet, one survey has placed the number as high as 20 percent, but most surveys say the number is between 4 and 6 percent,” said Katharine Hansen, Editor of the job seeker’s newsletter QuintZine.

As you consider relocation, the Internet is a great place to start your job search. While it is highly unlikely that you will get the jobs you locate through Internet job searches, it offers a great opportunity for conducting research about the job market.

Myjobsearch.com contributing writer Jeff Westover believes “job boards can be used to compare not only the number of jobs in an area, but also how much they pay and how desperate companies may be for new hires.”

Once you have found some companies for possible future employment, use their Web sites to conduct research. Contact someone in the human resources departments to gather more information about the companies. Find out what relocation resources they provide new hires. For Huse, the relocation resources were key to her accepting her job.

“They were very helpful,” she says of the HR staff. “I had never been to the city before, and they drove me around the area and gave me helpful hints for apartments that were good to look at.”

Relocation due to a job offer involves much more than simply starting the job. Living arrangements must be considered as you weigh the job options. Factor that in as you conduct your job search.

Many relocation packages include moving expenses for upper management, but new graduates and other entry-level employees are not so lucky. According to the Employee Relocation Council, companies reported a five percent decrease in overall relocations from 2001 to 2004. Costs totaling $14,000 for each renting new hire and nearly $50,000 for home-owning new hires contribute to the decline in relocation allowances.

Because the expense of relocation will most likely be passed on to you, it is wise to make sure relocation is worth the expense of moving all your belongings to another city, securing living arrangements and acclimating to the new city as well as your new job.

Relocation can be a successful tactic when you do your homework before you move. If you are willing to pack up your life and move, relocation could be the best way to find a job following graduation.

“You only live once,” said Huse. “If the job is right for you, go for it.” Huse has been on her job for two years. For her, relocation was the right choice. It might be the right choice for you as well.

Ever feel stressed about trying to balance school, work, family, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life? Procrastinating, feeling bogged down or having trouble figuring out where to start? It can be helpful to make a daily to-do list.

To-do lists often get a bad rap for being only for the super-organized. The truth is that a little organization can go a long way to help you make the best use of your time and accomplish your goals.

How to make an effective to-do list:

1. Include things that absolutely must be done and things you’d like to complete if time allows.
2. Next to each task, try to estimate how much time you plan to spend on that job. This will only take a couple minutes out of your day, but it can be a worthwhile investment, helping you manage your time and be more productive.
3. One thing to keep in mind ? it’s important to not overbook yourself. Establishing a mile-long list can be counterproductive. Chances are you’ll only become overwhelmed by a daunting all-inclusive list.
4. Keep it reasonable. Avoid including tasks you know you won’t have time for that day.
5. Make a plan and then make an effort to follow it. You’ll not only feel more productive throughout the day; you’ll gain a feeling of achievement each time you cross an item off your list.

Planning for college can be an extremely stressful time. You, as a potential student, are flooded with options on where to go, what to study and, most importantly, the omnipresent, age-old question ? ?what do you want to be when you grow up??

This question, while not always answerable, is asked of us because it is important to establish career goals. It is difficult to answer because the response often changes. I, for instance, have run through the generic answers ? police officer and superhero ? to the more considered answers ? architect or graphic designer ? to my final answer ? copywriter.

Even though deciding on a career is important, so is your education. In fact, you may even learn more about what you enjoy while attending school. It is no secret that many students change their major at least once, if not several times. This same trend afflicts the job market ? most people will change careers four to five times.

With this in mind, you may think that planning for a career is next to impossible ? it isn?t.

Narrow the choices.

Investigate. Research your chosen major or career path to find out what exactly it entails. Then decide if it is a fit for your interests. In addition, find out what the outcomes are upon completion of various majors or career paths. By doing this, you may find a direction you had not previously considered.

Don?t be afraid. It is okay to attend college without declaring a major. As I said earlier, most people will change at least once, so why not get the general classes out of the way first. This will allow you more time to decide on a career path.

Be curious. Enroll in a class or course that sounds interesting to you. My passion for writing became apparent only after taking courses in creative writing and poetry.

Stay informed. Find out what industries ? or more specifically, jobs ? are in demand. This may help shed light on where you feel most secure.

Most importantly, never stop learning. A career is a lifelong process, not a one-time decision, and industries are constantly undergoing change. Read articles, books and information related to your career choice. This way, you can build your knowledge base and better position yourself as an expert in your field.