Sally Forester has been a dedicated volunteer with the Free Library of Philadelphia for the past twelve years and has been indispensable in the programming and maintenance of the Library's website.

What exactly do you do for the website?

I work with ColdFusion, Javascript and HTML to create dynamic pages. The work includes both pages that are used by the public and pages that are used by staff to update information or report statistics. I have done substantial work on the calendar of events, digital collections, booklist, and jobs applications, among others. We work as a team, so no one person is completely responsible for a single application.

What has volunteering at the FLP meant for you?

I've made great friends, acquired a great deal of technical knowledge and had the satisfaction of being part of something new and increasingly important to the city.

Why should others do it?

It's a wonderful way to meet people, learn new skills and contribute to your community.

What is your favorite part of volunteering?

As a lifelong volunteer I have always gravitated to jobs that will teach me new skills. But in the long run it's the people I work with that become most important.

What is your favorite part of the site?

I love the digital collections. I find the Advance Search extremely useful. I also enjoy some of the new conveniences such as being able to reserve books online and get emails when they come in.

Why do you think it's important?

The website not only gives people more convenient access to the things they have always used, like the catalog and the reference materials, but it gives us a way to share with the world our many unique collections that can't be made available to the general public because of space limitations or preservation concerns.