Since its launch last spring, Penn’s mobile website has placed a treasure trove of information about the University at the fingertips of smart phone users and fans of other mobile devices.

Located at m.upenn.edu, the mobile website offers instant access to the latest news about Penn, maps of campus, lists of cultural events, and public safety information. It also provides search functions and interactive tools, such as  “Ask a librarian.”

For example, an individual searching for details about art exhibits at Penn can use the mobile calendar to see what is happening on campus at the moment, and can also filter their search by date and by category. Additionally, users can check out new music through the library app, view historical photographs, or track down libraries with a 10-mile radius of their location.

The mobile website can be especially useful to visitors and newcomers to Penn who can use it to get news, follow athletic and cultural events, and find maps. 

The site is quickly gaining popularity. In January, it was visited by more than 55,000 mobile device users. More than half of those visitors (62 percent) were using the site for the first time.

“While these numbers are still quite modest when compared to the traffic for the main University website, our audience is becoming increasingly dependent on mobile devices and we expect usage will increase steadily,” says Steven Minicola, manager of web communications in University Communications.