By John Burton
LITTLE SILVER — What do you do if you’ve got a computer issue? Get a teenager to help, of course.That’s what the Little Silver Public Library did when it needed a new Web site design.Ryan McVeety is a 16-year-old Red Bank Regional High School junior who donated his time this summer to assist the library in establishing its new site.The library had a Web site, but it was one that dated back to the 1990s and was “very static, very one-dimensional,” explained Anita O’Brien, the library’s acting director.
“The subject came up that I was good with technology,” McVeety explained about his involvement. But to say he was “good” with technology appeared to be something of an understatement.
Even by the tech savvy standard of those of his generation, McVeety seems to be a go-to guy for computer questions. “I’m the technical support guy at home,” he acknowledged.
McVeety is a student at the high school’s Academy of Information Technology and is currently taking the Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science class. He is also involved in computer competitions including a forthcoming one at the New York University’s Polytechnic Institute, in Brooklyn, where he and his teammates will be competing in a virtual forensic science murder mystery. Along with that, Ryan is taking a cyber security class and is involved with his school’s CyberPatriot national competition program.
Ryan’s mom had been a volunteer at the borough’s library and “I always loved the library,” he said, which led him to offer his help. He’s been interested in computers since he was quite young—even younger than he is now—going back to when he was about 10, he said.
His design is much more interactive than what the library’s previous site, as well as being very user friendly, O’Brien said.
For Ryan the appeal of is, “the problem solving aspect of it,” he said, explaining it has the same draw as puzzles, like Rubik’s Cube. That and video games, such as Call to Duty Shooter and Halo, which may lead him into a career some day designing games, something he’s thinking about, he explained.
“He was a big help to me,” O’Brien said of Ryan’s work, which included a program that would allow O’Brien to update the site.
And on Monday the Borough Council recognized McVeety’s contribution to the borough by approving a resolution commending his work for his community. “It’s a huge benefit to us,” Mayor Robert Neff Jr. said.
“It’s pretty cool,” getting the acknowledgment, McVeety said afterwards. Yeah, but does it compare with Call to Duty?
