LEONARDTOWN, Md. — St. Mary’s County commissioners voted Tuesday to allow the St. Mary’s County Library to distribute decommissioned county-owned laptops and other surplus information technology to residents in need, expanding a long-standing nonprofit donation program.
St. Mary’s County Chief Information Officer Bob Kelly told commissioners the equipment is fully functional but replaced through the county’s life cycle schedule before breakdowns occur. Kelly said the program’s original focus on nonprofits, established by the St. Mary’s County commissioners in 2015, no longer meets current demand.
“I think we have a good framework, and by expanding this program and getting explicit approval from the Board of County Commissioners to provide this equipment to the county libraries, they can distribute it to citizens in our community in need,” Kelly said.
The devices’ storage and memory are wiped before leaving the county’s possession to prevent data exposure, but the laptops will have basic operating systems installed to ensure that they function properly.
“This is operational equipment, it’s still functional,” Kelly said. “We are not giving something that is not useful, but they are clean.”
St. Mary’s County Library Director Michael Blackwell said the equipment that was replaced has modern operating systems and that the community need for updated devices is growing as support for older operating systems ends.
“They are Windows 11 machines, and as you are aware, Windows 10 is no longer going to be supported by Microsoft,” Blackwell said. “We anticipate there might be a demand among citizens who have older machines.”
Microsoft’s support for Windows 10 ended Oct. 14, and the company has recommended Windows 11 machines replace the older systems for security, functionality and software update benefits.
Blackwell said they identified community checkpoints where the surplus IT equipment can start making an impact.
“The first place we would like to be working with is at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home,” Blackwell said. “We send staff up there to do computer lessons and troubleshoot people’s devices, and if there’s any veterans that would like a Windows 11 machine, we’ll take that up there and help them set it up.”
The St. Mary’s County Library staff also visits St. Mary’s Caring, conducts outreach with families at the Judy Center Early Learning Hub, and supports individuals reentering the community after detention who need access to working computers.
In St. Mary’s County, the three Judy Center Early Learning Hubs — at Green Holly, George Washington Carver and Lexington Park elementary schools — serve families in those zones and those experiencing special circumstances, offering free programs to help children enter school ready to learn.
Blackwell said most of the laptops will go directly to residents, with about six reserved for library use, including loaners for meeting rooms and devices for staff who currently rely on tablets.
According to Blackwell’s proposal to the county, there are approximately 20 to 50 functional Windows 11 laptops in surplus that were replaced by new machines this year, and similar surplus equipment may be available annually.
St. Mary’s County Commissioner Mike Hewitt described the library’s role as critical for residents who cannot afford home internet or devices. He recalled seeing community members relying on library computers for essential services at Leonardtown’s library after being encouraged to observe firsthand how people use the space.
“What I noticed was people using your computers,” Hewitt said. “I saw elderly people on computers, I saw low-income people on computers.”
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the expansion of the nonprofit IT donation program to include the citizens of St. Mary’s County.
Blackwell noted that St. Mary’s County residents are generous and actively participate in community aid. He said the St. Mary’s County Library serves as a daily food donation site, with weekly deliveries made to St. Mary’s Caring, and that all library locations are equipped with little food pantries for the public.
“The citizens of St. Mary’s County have been incredibly generous in a difficult time. This is a county that gives,” Blackwell said.
Fast Facts About The St. Mary’s County Library System
Library Card Sign-Up: Find information here.
Library Hours:
- Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
- Friday–Saturday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Sunday: 1–5 p.m. (Lexington Park Library only)
Leonardtown Library Drive-Thru Window:
- Monday–Thursday: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
- Friday–Saturday: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Library Locations:
- Charlotte Hall Library: 37600 New Market Road, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622
- Leonardtown Library: 23630 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650
- Lexington Park Library: 21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD 20653
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If they are still operational, the county needs to continue to use them and not waste taxpayer dollars on buying new ones. Ok your laptop is not state of the art. You are a public servant and produce no profit for the county, so you use functionally operational devices, not bleeding edge.