Calling all tech enthusiasts, digital strategists, web entrepreneurs, online editors, software developers, web designers, engineers, bloggers, hackers, gamers, students, and gadget geeks all throughout the Philadelphia area: Philly Tech Week is almost here!

Philly Tech Week begins a week-long celebration of technology and innovation in Philadelphia kicking off Friday, April 19th and running through Sunday, April 28th. In its third year, the annual week of events is as varied, interesting, educational, and sometimes geeky as ever with hackathons, TEDTalks, tech summits, digital arts galleries, robotics expos, green technology seminars, 3D printer demonstrations, app building tutorials, and probably the coolest "geek out!" event of Tech Week: A Pong video game tournament played on the 430-foot Cira Center skyscraper in University City utilizing the building's LED light array (spectators will be able to watch from Art Museum).

Of course, Philly Tech Week is not only for seasoned techies; there are numerous informational events, seminars and tutorials aimed at novices, students, families and anyone else who wants to learn something new.

The Free Library of Philadelphia is proud to be a signature sponsor and partner for this year's Philly Tech Week and will be hosting two events at Parkway Central, helping to bridge the "digital divide":

EveryoneOn Launch
Monday, April 22 @ 2:00 p.m.
Free Library of Philadelphia will help kick off the EveryoneOn initiative, which is working to bridge the "digital divide" and reach families, students, and others throughout the Philadelphia area and get them online access.

Blackout: Reinventing Black Media in the Digital Age
Monday, April 22 @ 5:00 p.m.
Free Library President and Director Sibohan A. Reardon will be on hand to introduce this event, along with special keynote speaker Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. The event will explore and examine how three local and longstanding African-American businesses within the communications and telecommunications industries in Philadelphia have dealt with the "digital divide".

Our Techmobile team will also be out in full force for Philly Tech Week on Wednesday, April 24th from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Presby’s Inspired Life, 2050 S. 58th Street. "All Hands On Technology: A Senior Learning Event" will help adults 55+ explore their hobbies and interests online in a comfortable, senior-focused learning environment.

All three of these events are free and open to the public with the intent to give access to technology tools, information, and services—all of which the Free Library strives to give our customers to help guide learning and inspire curiosity.
 

Tags: Events at the Library, Parkway Central, Siobhan A. Reardon, tech

Today the Free Library launches our Techmobile, a state-of-the art digital literacy training vehicle. Sporting iPads and laptops, presentation equipment and mobile broadband, our Techmobile brings library services, computer training and internet access on the road. It serves Philadelphians not only in their own neighborhoods, but in the organizations and places where they work and study, strengthen themselves and their communities, rebuild or recover, and create better futures.

Mayor Nutter, Congressman Fattah and Free Library President and Director Siobhan Reardon will cut the ribbon on the Techmobile at the People’s Emergency Center, an organization that serves formerly homeless women and families through independent living facilities and community development. Then members of the PEC community will come on board for a computer training.

Offering workshops in email and internet basics, documents, and spreadsheets, as well as job search and resume trainings, the Techmobile will visit community organizations in the areas of the city with least access to broadband connectivity at home. In the coming days, Techmobile staff will offer trainings at a community service organization in North Philadelphia, behavioral health and developmental disability providers in West and South Philadelphia, as well as groups supporting grandparents raising children, daycare providers and PHA residents.

To request a Techmobile visit, fill out this form.

For more information, visit the Techmobile webpages or call 215 686 5372, and follow or fan us Twitter and Facebook.

Tags: Siobhan A. Reardon, Techmobile

The Free Library of Philadelphia is excited to welcome Siobhan A. Reardon as the new President and Director. She is the first woman to serve as President in the position’s 114-year history. Her selection was the culmination of a ten-month search chaired by Robert Heim and Kent McGuire and conducted by members of the Free Library’s Board of Trustees and the Free Library Foundation Board of Directors.

Before joining the Free Library, Ms. Reardon served as Executive Director of the Westchester Library System in New York, a 38-member cooperative library system. During her time at Westchester, she launched a public relations and branding program, increased county support by 45 percent, and implemented technological enhancements. Prior to that, Ms. Reardon worked as Deputy Executive Director of the Brooklyn Public Library, serving as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the nation’s fifth largest library system. Her accomplishments during her tenure at the Brooklyn Public Library include tripling the size of the Library’s Foundation and spearheading a $15 million capital campaign for an auditorium and plaza for the Central Library. While there, she also served as Acting Executive Director and Director of Finance. 

Ms. Reardon began her library career at New York Public Library in several finance roles, including Manager of Budget and Planning. She holds a B.A. from SUNY College at Purchase, an M.A. from Fordham University, and an M.L.S. from the Palmer School of Library Science at Long Island University.  

Tags: Siobhan A. Reardon