Samuel Jensen writes:
A lot of what I do at the Iowa City Bike Library is focussed on serving and interacting with the public. I fix up and check out bikes, recruit and manage volunteers, and organize events and classes. As the weather gets colder, however, fewer and fewer people are coming through our doors looking for bikes. While this slowdown means that I’m not always quite as busy, it also means that I can look for other projects to occupy the next couple of months before bike season starts again.
One exciting opportunity that the slowdown has given me is the opportunity to help with the Iowa Bike Summit and Expo in Des Moines at the end of January. The bike summit is an annual gathering of bicyclists, planners, mechanics, advocates, local politicians, and the general public full of workshops, networking, and presentations. Part of my job at the summit will be to coordinate and facilitate the meetups of all of the bike coops and advocacy organizations in Iowa. It should be an exciting opportunity to meet folks from across the state who are working on making Iowa a better place to bike!
Another big opportunity that the slowdown has given me is the ability to catch up on some capacity-building projects here at the Bike Library. Some of the things I’m working on in January include organizing the shop and shop computer, creating a membership list for Think Bicycles, building up our stock of checkout bikes, organizing our annual party for volunteers and the community, creating a volunteer handbook, and working to develop more ideas for workshops and classes. By getting these projects done now during our slow period, I’ll be able to better prepare the Bike Library for when my AmeriCorps service ends in March.
Samuel Jensen has a B.S. in Urban Planning from Roskilde University in Copenhagen, Denmark. He also holds the title of co-founder of the Milwaukee Transit Riders Union. Samuel will be placed at the Iowa City Bike Library, working to increase bicycling and environmental awareness through education and outreach. He will also assist in creating and implementing a cycling course that educates the community about the energy merits of alternative transportation.
