What’s New
Expanded Tech
at LIC Library
BY BILL PARRY
Queens Public Library marks the
70th anniversary of its continued pres-ence
at the Queensbridge Houses,
the largest public housing complex
in the nation, with the expansion of
its Tech Lab services to four days a
week, as demand for digital literacy
programs grow in western Queens.
Located at 10-43 41st Ave. in Long
Island City, the Tech Lab is a hub of
innovation and technology in the com-munity
hosting workshops on a wide
range of tech topics for all ages, and
helps customers build critical skills to
succeed in school and the workplace.
“Expanding our services at Queens-bridge
Houses Tech Lab will help
residents and others who live nearby
develop the high-demand skills and
knowledge needed for many posi-tions
in today’s job market,” Queens
Public Library President and CEO
Dennis M. Walcott said. “We are grate-ful
to the Mayor’s Office of the Chief
Technology Officer and the New York
City Housing Authority for partnering
with us to narrow the digital divide by
widening free access to economic
and educational opportunities for all.”
The Tech Lab offers tutorials and
workshops on general computer use,
audio and video editing, graphic de-sign,
3D printing, web development,
computer programming, and video
game design. It also provides access
to specialized software like Audacity.
Adobe Creative Suite, QuickBooks
Pro, and Scratch, as well as to Maker
Space, Arduino microcontrollers, and
Little Bits electronic kits.
“The Queensbridge Tech Lab is a
vital part of making Queensbridge a
model connected community where
residents have the tools, skills and
spaces to make full and creative
use of the free broadband service
provided by the city,” Mayor’s Of-fice
of the Chief Technology Officer
10 JULY 2019 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
Deputy CTO Joshua Breitbart said.
“This library branch is a proud part
of this community’s history, and we
are thrilled to help make it a platform
for its future.”
This summer, in an effort to go
beyond its walls, the Lab launched
a community project to explore local
urban ecology and experience STEM
learning in a creative setting. As part
of the project, on Saturday, July 13,
participants will board the BioBus, a
mobile lab equipped with microscopes
and staffed by scientists, and analyze
water quality in the area.
“Thanks to our partnership with the
Queens Public Library, Queensbridge
Houses residents of all ages have
capitalized on having a tech lab in
there community that has provided
digital literacy programming,” NYCHA
Executive VP Sideya Sherman said.
Although public library systems
in Chicago and other U.S. cities
have only recently started offering
library services in the public housing
complexes, Queens Public Library’s
Queensbridge outpost opened in
1949 serving as a library branch and
then as a family literacy center, before
becoming a Tech Lab.
“The Queensbridge Library has
been a vital resource in the Queens-bridge
community for years,” Queens-bridge
Houses Tenants Associa-tion
President April Simpson said.
“Since I was a child, the residents of
Queensbridge utilized the Queens
Public Library. Students used it for
school work, parents for bettering
themselves on their jobs. Residents
also used it for research, fun ways of
learning, and just a place to go and
read a book. Their services continued
because they offer effective ways of
learning for all ages. I support them
and pray they stay in the community
for ever. I am proud of my Queens-bridge
Library. Congratulations on a
job well done.”
Queens Public
Library celebrates
70th anniversary of
its Queensbridge
outpost
/www.qns.com
/www.qns.com
