New Jersey - Mountain Lakes Public Library

Overview

The Mountain Lakes Public Library (Mountain Lakes, NJ) provided BBB internship opportunities throughout the year from the summer of 2022 to the summer of 2024. The program's goal was to provide high school students with a unique opportunity to learn about engineering and the design process by working with a community partner organization to design more accessible products. Through activities and hands-on work at the Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace, discussions with industry professionals, and working with partner organizations, participating students developed engaging and functional, accessible resources.

Project Requirements & Schedule

High school interns spent a total of 50+ hours learning about accessible design and developing an engaging and functional accessible resource prototype with a partner organization. Projects involved 3d design and printing, web applications, phone apps, robotics, raised graphics, laser cut materials, or anything that created an accessible resource. No prior experience was necessary! Students explored and learned everything they needed to know as they collaboratively developed their ideas and projects with their partner.

Mountain Lake's summer 2024 & 2025 internship programs focused on bringing BBB prototypes to completion! BBB Teen Internship alumni returned to further develop their prototypes with a goal of distributing their products to community clients. For more information about past programs, please contact Ian Matty via email.

Program Structure

Interns participating in the Build a Better Book Teen Internship program at Mountain Lakes Public Library worked closely with local organizations on client-centered designs and had opportunities to meet with industry professionals addressing current issues in accessibility and universal design. 

Previous interns:

• Visited with 3D design industry organizations
• Had meetings with St. Joseph’s School for the Blind students, both over Zoom and in person
• Partnered with Sound Start for Babies and had meetings with their educators and students in person
• Participated in a Zoom session with Ka Li from National Network for Equitable Library Service on Accessible Tactile Design
• Participated in a presentation and conversation with Brian McKenzie on Inclusive Design and Accessibility in Software and Game Development
• Attended the virtual ISLAND Conference in Princeton, NJ to experience all of the ways that people and organizations are developing inclusive science education for everyone

To learn more about previous years' internship programs, visit Mountain Lakes Public Library's Engineering with Empathy Teen Internship: Connecting Technical Work to Social Needs.

Client-Centered Design

Through an iterative design process, students worked individually or in small teams to design and build final products based on the needs of clients at two local organizations, St. Joseph's School for the Blind and Sound Start Babies. Project ideas covered a spectrum of needs including medical alert badges, understanding tornados, crayon toppers, book covers, and games. Students gained new skills and experience with STEM technology ranging from 3D printed materials to coded games and apps.

For more details on each project and student design process, visit the Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace Project Catalog.