Left to right: QPL Board Member Julissa Gutierrez, District Leader Michelle Dunston, Council Member Francisco Moya, Assembly Member Larinda Hooks, QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott, Lefrak City Library Manager Sharon Diamond and QPL Chief Librarian Nick Buron
QPL Unveils New Tech Mobile Library
Funded by Council Member Francisco Moya, the $250,000 Van Brings QPL’s Mobile Fleet to Five Motorized Vehicles
CORONA, NY_ Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott, NYC Council Member Francisco Moya, and community members today celebrated the launch of QPL’s new Tech Mobile Library outside the Library’s future Lefrak City location at 95-15 Horace Harding Expressway.
The vehicle - a 24-foot, 9-ton Mercedes Sprinter 2500 - costs approximately $247,000. It features an exterior LED TV with soundbar and amplifier, a 550-watt solar panel system with Bluetooth connectivity, and Wi-Fi access.
Inside, it is equipped with 12 laptops with coding and design software, robotics kits including LEGO Spike, Ozobot, and Sphero, 3D design and printing tools, VR and AR headsets, telescopes and microscopes, gaming consoles, and digital creativity equipment such as podcasting tools, a multimedia console, video editing gear, cameras, musical devices, and Cricut design tools.
Programs offered on board will include STEM, robotics, and maker labs, gaming and esports workshops, job readiness support including résumé building and digital literacy, senior tech help, assistive technology demonstrations, and digital creativity programs for all ages.
Library services such as card registration, material checkout, readers’ advisory, and demonstrations of digital resources will also be available. In addition, the vehicle carries a curated collection of over 100 tech-focused books, STEM guides, maker materials, and digital learning kits.
Designed to support communities during emergencies, the van also features mobile charging stations for phones, tablets, and medical devices, 10 interior and three exterior outlets, emergency shelter supplies such as thermal blankets, disaster information including evacuation routes, FEMA contacts, and safety checklists, emergency lighting, enhanced power systems, and the solar panel system enabling off-grid operation.
“We are thrilled to deliver hands-on tech learning and exploration directly to neighborhoods across Queens, beyond our walls,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “In addition to providing digital skills and access to essential resources, the tech mobile will serve as a crucial link to health information, wellness support, and tools to help people navigate community safety and emergency preparedness. We are deeply grateful to Council Member Francisco Moya for funding this vehicle and look forward to serving our communities with this innovative hub on wheels.”
“I’m incredibly proud to celebrate the launch of this new QPL Mobile Library—an investment I was honored to fully fund for the families of Lefrak City, Corona, East Elmhurst, and all of Queens,” said Council Member Francisco Moya who funded the vehicle. “The Queens Public Library’s bookmobiles bring opportunity directly to our communities, ensuring that every resident, from our youngest readers to our seniors, has access to books, movies, magazines, Wi-Fi, and so much more. This is what equitable access looks like: meeting people where they are, opening doors, and expanding the promise of public libraries to every corner of Queens. I’m excited for all the stories, learning, and inspiration that will roll into our neighborhoods with this new Mobile Library.”
Following the unveiling, the QPL’s Outreach team offered STEM and music activities, gaming, and tech help. The event took place in front of the new Lefrak City branch, currently in the preconstruction phase, which will replace the previous site on 57th Avenue that suffered severe flood damage from Hurricane Ida in 2021.
The vehicle is QPL’s fifth mobile library. Earlier this year, the Library introduced two new bookmobiles.
The first, a 32-foot, 13-ton vehicle launched in April in Breezy Point, provides weekly library service and features an automatic wheelchair lift, retractable awning, skylight, solar power technology, Wi-Fi-enabled TVs, 12 laptops, a printer, a self-checkout machine, gaming systems, and a 5,000-book collection.
The Children and Teen Bookmobile, launched in June, is a 26-foot vehicle equipped with coding and design software, robotics and STEM kits, a flat-screen TV, podcasting and DJ equipment, a karaoke station, and a curated collection of 2,000 books for young readers.
These vehicles complement QPL’s two earlier mobile libraries, which primarily serve neighborhoods where branches are temporarily closed for renovations. QPL also operates two book bicycles that bring books and library services to parks, schools, and community events across the borough.
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology, and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab at the Queensbridge public housing complex, a community learning center at the Ravenswood public housing complex, and five teen centers. It also has five bookmobiles and two book bicycles.
CONTACT: Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, ekern@queenslibrary.org