Shaun Magee may be graduating, but he's working on leaving something behind to make life a little easier for Penn State students.

"I'm graduating this semester, and as I'm leaving, I thought about things students are missing," said Magee (senior-finance), the creator of LionConnection.com. "This Web site is something I wish I'd had as a student."

The Web site was launched last Tuesday and offers students a free place to sell textbooks, find a job, place a classified ad, or rent an apartment or sublet.

Unlike national Web sites, LionConnection.com is non-profit and tailored to Penn State students.

Magee said that LionConnection.com is different from other sites because it features a searchable database, so people can find books and items faster.

"LionConnection.com is designed with simplicity and is user-friendly," he said. "Everything can be done in minutes."

Magee, who will work in the financial field at Morgan Stanley in New York in the fall said it's too early to tell if maintaining Web sites will be a career move for him.

"When I entered the business school, I decided to major in finance because it was challenging," he said. "That's the kind of person I am. I decided to take on this project because it was a challenge."

When he got the idea for the Web site, Magee said he thought, "Why not see where this goes?"

"Working on projects is more fun than just sitting around," he said. "Right now, I'm visiting classrooms and trying to get students excited about the Web site."

Magee said he is working to assemble a team of salesmen and graphic designers to maintain and expand the Web site.

"Students on this team will act like interns and report to an overall manager," he said. "The team is still shaping, but I hope to get students involved."

Gary Grayek (freshman-finance), who is selling a business textbook on LionConnection.com, said he is confident his book will sell as the semester ends and people are looking for textbooks.

"It's a new way for students to reach out to each other," he said. "The Web site is targeted at a specific audience and I'll definitely use it again."

Scott Kowalski, who worked on the Web site's design, said he decided to sell a fish tank on LionConnection.com because of the large student audience.

"My wife is a student, and she's constantly looking for books," he said. "LionConnection.com is a good way to find books."

Penn State Bookstore assistant manager Tom Fankhauser said the Web site won't drastically affect his business.

"While we're always worried about competition, exchange places have existed for 60 or 70 years," he said.

"Web sites are just a different way for people to do what they've always done," Fankhauser added.