Seguin Public Library celebrates first round free computers
17 Mar 2025
Quality of Life
Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today
Cindy Aguirre
(Seguin) — Thanks to the Seguin Public Library, 125 families now have a home computer.
The library, thanks to its partnership with Compudopt, awarded the computers to families via a lottery system.
Assistant Library Director Hannah Farmer says it was exciting to work with the non-profit organization that refurbishes computers with the hope of getting them into the hands of those families who need them. She was especially amazed by the number of people who applied for the chance to be drawn.
“We were really happy and amazed by how many people registered and were able to get a free computer on the Compudopt computer giveaway. It was a great turnout,” said Farmer.
Farmer says the best part was, of course, seeing the reactions of those winning a computer.
“It was a really fun time too, being able to be there to see all the happy and smiling faces when they got their new computer. I know I heard from people talking about how it will be easier to watch some videos and stream some things at home for education and entertainment. We were also able to showcase some of the library resources and encourage people that were here to get their computers to get into the library and get a free library card. So, we saw some faces that we don’t normally see at the library which was really cool and I know having a laptop computer will definitely help them use some of the library’s resources over the mobile devices — just a bigger screen that works a little bit better with some websites,” said Farmer.
Hannah says library officials worked hard to get the word out so that Compudopt would know that there is a real need in this community. She says the hope is that the library will again be selected to host the program in the future.
“It will all depend on Compudopt’s funding. They get a lot of corporate donations and they do anticipate getting more donations. The idea is that corporations donate money, but also the computers that are gently used and Compudopt refurbishes them and gets them back to the communities and they do want to come back to Seguin based on the success of this event. We are just now sure yet when that will be,” said Farmer.
And while folks should always be wary of a potential scam, Farmer applauds the public for trusting in the library and its many programs designed to benefit all citizens.
“One other funny thing is a lot of people were like, ‘I wasn’t sure at first if this was a scam but then I saw the library’s name on it and so I trusted it.’ and I said absolutely, we would never partner with anybody without doing the research and Compudopt is a legitimate 501c3 non-profit organization,” said Farmer.
According to Compudopt, more than 41 percent of families still lack access to a computer at home.
To have been eligible, families could not have a working computer at home. Tablets and cell phones don’t count. In addition to taking home a laptop, winners also received a two-year warranty on the computer along with free tech support.
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