Library to receive nine donated laptops

Optum, the information technology company hired to set up Vermont's Health Connect website, will donate nine refurbished laptop computers to the Springfield public library next month.
http://www.eagletimes.com/news/2015-11-18/Local/Library_to_receive_nine_donated_laptops.html

Library to receive nine donated laptops By Allan Stein allans@eagletimes.com SPRINGFIELD — Optum, the information technology company hired to set up Vermont's Health Connect website, will donate nine refurbished laptop computers to the Springfield public library next month. Company officials announced that five Vermont public libraries have been chosen as recipients of 45 laptops in total, or nine each. On Dec. 9, a donation event will be held at the Springfield library at 1 p.m. "We're the last of the five libraries [to receive laptops]. They should be pretty nice for us. We haven't decided exactly how we are going to use them," said library director Russell Moore. The Optum donations support the state's goal to connect Vermonters to Internet-based services such as health eduction. "Vermont has made it a priority to connect residents to the Internet regardless of their geographic locations or income," said State Librarian Martha Reid. "Libraries are vital community information centers, and part of their mission is to provide their patrons with health education and information, which is increasingly becoming web-based." Brenda Hogan, Optum's executive client manager for Vermont, said the laptop donation program is part of the company's commitment to provide vital IT services to residents. "As a lifelong Vermonter, I'm familiar with the critical role libraries play as meeting places and community centers. Our hope is that these laptops will further foster this collaborative and productive atmosphere in libraries across the state," said Hogan. The Springfield library serves 9,300 people and offers high-speed Internet through VTel's Gigabit service. Moore said the new laptops will support individual and group training at the library, expand technology programs for youths, and improve access to technology for patrons who lack a computer at home. The laptops will come preloaded with Windows XP, an outdated Microsoft operating system. Later they will be upgraded with Windows 7 software, Moore said. Moore said the computers should be ready for the public to use right away and on loan at a later date. Optum is a leading information and technology enabled health services business delivering integrated solutions to improve health and the health system to more than 80,000 people worldwide. The company is part of the UnitedHealth Group.