Digital Discovery Fair: Explore. Learn. Connect.

Next date: Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 01:00 PM to 04:00 PM

Arlington County's Digital Equity Initiative invites everyone to join us at Central Library for this free community event to celebrate Digital Inclusion Week, a national celebration focused on expanding access to technology, internet, and digital tools. At the County's first Digital Discovery Fair, residents of all ages and skill levels can explore emerging technology, build digital skills, connect with local resources, and receive personalized tech support, all in one place. Snacks available while supplies last!

  • LEARN – Attend presentations and hands-on workshops
  • PLAY – See tech in action and try out tools
  • CONNECT– Chat with local organizations offering digital skills training and affordable access to the internet and devices and donate your old tech
  • GET HELP – Tech Help Bar -- Get friendly one-on-one support; BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and bring your questions! Two laptops will be raffled at the end of the Fair!

 

To help us plan for the fair, registration is encouraged but not required.

Register for the Digital Discovery Fair

Schedule

All talks, workshops, and ongoing activities will take place on the ground floor of Central Library.

Timed Talks & Workshops

Find descriptions under the LEARN heading below.

 

*The AI Fundamentals workshop and Dr. Turner Lee's book talk will occur only once. All other talks will be offered twice during the fair.

Ongoing Activities (1 - 4 p.m.)

Find descriptions under the PLAY, CONNECT, and GET HELP headings below.

A variety of exhibits and interactive displays and demos will occur throughout the fair in the lobby and the Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium.

The Tech Rescue and Donation Station and the Tech Help Bar -- 1:1 personalized tech support, available in English, Spanish, Amharic, Arabic, Dari, Hindi, and Urdu -- will occur on an ongoing basis in the lobby.  

LEARN

Digitally Invisible Book Talk

Cover of the book DIGITALLY INVISIBLE: How the Internet is Creating the New Underclass by Dr. Nicol Turner Lee.

Dr. Nicol Turner Lee will discuss her book Digitally Invisible, in which she "argues that achieving digital equity is crucial for the future of America’s global competitiveness and requires radical responses to offset the unintended consequences of increasing digitization.”

Dr. Lee is a senior fellow in Governance Studies and the director of the Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at the Brookings Institution, where she also serves as co-editor-in-chief of the TechTank blog and The TechTank Podcast. Her research focuses on the intersection between technology and social justice in areas that range from universal access to communications to the design and application of artificial intelligence models.

Moderated by Ben Childers, Cool/Scary AI

Hands-On Workshop: AI Fundamentals - Effective Prompting

Join the Upskilling Labs to learn how AI works and how to prompt it for effective use. Participants will leave understanding how to craft more effective prompts and evaluate the output. Bring a smartphone or laptop.

Talks

These 20-minute presentations (with time for questions) will be offered twice during the fair. 

Click here for the list of presentations

All Clear: How to Safely Wipe your Laptop/Phone for Donation/Sale: Thinking about donating or selling an old device? Join Computer CORE and eWaste Warriors to learn how to safely remove your personal information, reset your laptop or phone, and make sure your data doesn’t follow your device to its next owner.

Don’t Toss it Yet! What to do with Your Old Tech: Not sure what to do with an old laptop, phone, or other device? Join Computer CORE and eWaste Warriors to learn how to decide whether your tech is worth repairing, reusing, donating, selling, or recycling. We’ll cover practical considerations -- including condition, usefulness, and responsible disposal -- so you can choose the best next step instead of automatically sending it to the trash.

Inside IoT: Where Does Your Data Go?: Ever wonder what your smart devices know about you? Take a look inside the Internet of Things (IoT) and discover how everyday devices collect, process, and share data—and how that information shows up in our daily lives. Using examples and real devices, GMU's Digital Device and Artifact Lab will explore what data is being collected, how it gets extracted and used, and what you can do to better understand and manage your digital footprint when using, replacing, or getting rid of a connected device. 

Should I Use AI for That? Through a series of short, game-like scenarios, participants will join Dr. Barbara Fillip to decide whether AI, search, another tool, or a person is the better choice. Participants will leave with a practical way to think through those choices and will receive access to additional resources after the session.

How to Customize Your Smartphone to Make it Work Better for You: Join House Call Tech to learn how to personalize your smartphone, make it easier to use, and get more out of the features you already have. Separate sessions will cover iPhones and Android devices, with time for attendees to follow along and adjust their own settings. Topics will include increasing font size, customizing ringtones, simplifying your home screen, reducing spam calls, and setting up Emergency SOS.

Is It Real? How AI Is Changing the Scam Game: AI is making scams harder to spot -- from convincing voices and videos to highly personalized messages. Join Arlington County’s Cybersecurity Team to learn the red flags that can help you pause, verify, and protect yourself before you click, call, or send money.

Beyond “Good Answers:” Communicating Your Value in an Interview: A strong interview is more than simply answering the questions -- it’s about communicating your experience, strengths, and value in a way that connects with the interviewer. Join Capstone Tech to learn how AI tools can strengthen and tailor a candidate’s response. Participants will walk through real interview examples and receive hyper-specific feedback on what makes a response effective -- and how small changes can make an answer more clear, confident, and compelling.

PLAY

Virginia Tech’s Internet of Things

Virginia Tech’s Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab will feature Internet of Things (IoT) projects, including toy car prototypes and working traffic light circuits built with Arduino microcontrollers. Guests can walk through the display, observe the projects, ask questions, and learn how each is coded.

Program a Sphero BOLT

Join Pink Space Theory and learn how to program a Sphero BOLT robotic ball. Experiment with coding, problem-solving, and creativity as you figure out how to make your robot go where you want it to go. No coding experience necessary -- just come ready to try, test, and have fun! 

Play with the KoiBots Robot

Watch live robot demonstrations by the KoiBots, a FIRST Robotics Competition team from Arlington Public Schools' Grace Hopper Center! Stop by to meet the team, ask questions, and see custom code come to life as mechanical motion. Get inspired by the young innovators shaping Arlington's digital future!

Try on Wearable Health Technology

Experience cutting-edge health technology in action with UDC’s STAR Biomedical Research Labs! Try on a wearable Walking Assistant to see how smart robotics and exoskeletons restore human mobility. Get hands-on with a 3D scanner to discover how digital modeling creates custom braces. Stop by to meet UDC researchers and see how real-life biomedical robotics are transforming human health and independence.

Meet Ava

Join the Digital Innovation and Cloud Division of Arlington’s Department of Technology Services to interact with Ava, the County’s Chatbot. Chat with staff how the County is planning for AI. 

CONNECT

Tech Rescue and Donation Station

Have an old laptop sitting around? Clear out your old tech, give it a second life, and help someone get connected!

eWaste Warriors and Computer CORE will be on-site to accept donations for responsible reuse and recycling. Acceptable devices include: old phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, and other small electronics. 

You can also learn what may be possible when recovering irreplaceable photos, memories, and files from old or broken devices, as well as how to safely protect your personal information before passing a device along. 

Exhibitors & Organizations Present

Cool/Scary AI, FCC, Pink Space Theory, and more! Click to expand the full list

GET HELP

Tech Help Bar

Have a tech question? Computer CORE and their team of friendly tech helpers will be available to answer questions and provide 1:1 personalized tech support. Staff are multilingual and can provide support in English, Spanish, Dari, Arabic, Amharic, Urdu, and Hindi.

Computer CORE will raffle off two refurbished laptops installed with Windows 11! Anyone who stops by the Tech Help Bar can enter to win a laptop. Winners will be announced at the end of the Fair immediately following the Book Talk. 

Accommodations

Arlington County provides accommodations as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Please email or call at least 5 days prior to the event to request accommodations: digitalequity@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-5027(Elise Cleva, Communications Specialist).

 

When

  • Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 01:00 PM - 04:00 PM

Location

Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., 22201, View Map

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Cost

Free

Contact

digitalequity@arlingtonva.us

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