Where To Go To Get Assistance
The Queens Borough Public Library and Zendesk launched the “Where in Queens” website, which helps users connect to social services closest to where they are.
As described, it refers users to both public services and those from faith-based and communitybased organizations. The site is free to access and use on any internet connected device.
Zendesk originally created the app for use in San Francisco. The company donated the framework to the Queens Library, free of charge, to serve the community.
Queens Library populated it with information for Queens users that has been verified by library staff. Services include emergency housing, healthcare, food pantries, legal assistance and more.
Because smart phones have built-in GPS, users are referred to nearby assistance when the site is accessed in that way.
“Mobile phones have really done a great job of democratizing technology and as most of us can attest, it has become a piece of technology many of us can’t live without,” said Mikkel Svane, founder and CEO of Zendesk. “Working on the Link-SF and now Where in Queens project has allowed us to remember that technology is not a luxury, but an essential tool for giving everyone access to critical information and resources.”
“Queens Library is pleased to put such valuable information directly into the hands of Queens’s residents,” added Queens Library interim President and CEO Bridget Quinn-Carey. “Users can access the same information on the web or by coming in to the library, but the availability of the ‘Where in Queens’ as a mobile website makes it available during more hours and in more places. Queens Library was a pioneer in creating the award-winning Community Resources Database in the late 1990s. It was originally available in print format, and later became available on the library’s website. This is the next generation.”
The “Where in Queens” website was customized by Queens Library staff. It is available at www.whereinqueens.org.
“Where in Queens” was designed and engineered by Zendesk as an expansion of their original Link-SF site. The initiative is an extension of Zendesk’s commitment to the Mid-Market community in San Francisco and an example of the Digital Cities partnership between San Francisco and New York.
For more information about programs, services, locations, events and news, visit the Queens Library web site at www.queenslibrary.org or phone 1-718-990-0700.
