RECAP: Philly Social Good Meetup at the Free Library’s Techmobile
By William Yang |We partnered with the Free Library of Philadelphia for our June meetup to introduce attendees to one of the library’s latest hotspot initiatives, the Techmobile.
This meetup also marks some firsts for Generocity. We had the biggest number of attendees from all of our meetups and and this was our largest venue yet.
A Force of Change
Launched in April, the Techmobile has been a force of change to benefit communities all over the region. Joel Nichols, Manager of the Techmobile, Jenn Donsky, the Library Coordinator, and Jeff Lambert, the Techmobile Trainer spoke about their roles during the panel session.
In addition to introducing how Techmobile works and functions, the panelists also pointed out some secrets about the truck. The Techmobile has solar panels on the roof which can directly be used to power equipment inside and the Techmobile is plugged in every night for charge.
At the Q&A session, attendees asked several questions ranging from advertising the Techmobile program and the day-to-day functions, to where people can find the schedule and program information.
Panel Highlights
“We are trying to work out the best way to serve people in the region,” said Joel Nichols. The ultimate goal of the Techmobile is still trying to drive people to the library, since it’s impossible for them to visit every community on a regular basis.
A typical day at the Techmobile is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Techmobile usually tries to divide their day into two shifts, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with a goal of six clients being served during each shift.
The Techmobile adopts various methods to advertise its program, including paper flyers, Philly KEYSPOTS, United Way’s newsletter, and partnering with community organizations, like the Philadelphia Housing Authority, who can reach out to their constituencies. But the best method has been through word of mouth — when people experience the Techmobile they tell their friends and family. The Techmobile has only been in operation for three months, but when they return to the same locations the number of people are often larger.
After a Q&A session with members of the Free Library and Techmobile staff, attendees were invited on board the Techmobile to experience the truck firsthand.
Organizations can request a visit from the Techmobile online or by calling (215) 686-5372. The operation schedule is posted on Twitter and Free Library’s blog.
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