Queens Public Library Hits the Road with Mobile Library for Kids and Teens
Funded by the Office of NYC Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola, the New Vehicle Features Cutting-Edge STEM Technology
June 23, 2025—Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott and NYC Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola today cut the ribbon on a new mobile library dedicated to serving children and teens. The celebration followed the vehicle’s debut at PS/MS 207 Rockwood Park School in Howard Beach, where it hosted a STEM activity and science show for more than 70 kindergartners.
The 26-foot mobile library is equipped with 12 laptops with coding and design software, robotics and STEM kits, a flat-screen TV for workshops, podcasting and DJ equipment, a karaoke station, and a curated collection of 2,000 books for children and teens.
“With all of its tech offerings and opportunities for young people to explore and have fun, this outstanding mobile library is a vibrant hub of creativity,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “We are very grateful to NYC Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola’s office for providing the support needed to deliver amazing learning experiences directly to children and teens across the borough.”
“Everyone deserves access to a library, and these mobile units help to ensure that all of our residents, no matter where they live, can get the resources they need to learn and expand their minds,” said NYC Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola.
Programs on board will include storytimes, early literacy sessions, STEM activities, arts and crafts, and more. Young patrons can also register for library cards, check out and return materials, and access digital resources.
Manufactured by Farber Specialty Vehicles in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, the $300,000 bookmobile is the second of three new vehicles launching this year, designed to extend QPL’s reach to shelters, senior centers, hospitals, schools, and other community sites.
The first vehicle launched in April in Breezy Point, where it provides weekly library service. It includes features such as an automatic wheelchair lift, retractable awning, skylight, solar power technology, Wi-Fi-enabled TVs, 12 laptops, a printer, Wi-Fi access, a self-checkout machine, gaming systems, and a collection of 5,000 books for all ages.
The new vehicles will complement QPL’s earlier fleet of two mobile libraries, which will now primarily serve neighborhoods where branches are temporarily closed for renovations.
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 four bookmobiles and two book bicycles.
Media Contact: Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, ekern@queenslibrary.org
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