Laurie loves traveling, especially exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest region. Other hobbies include reading (no surprise), cooking, quilting, games, collecting fox décor and wearables, and playing April Fools' jokes on her coworkers.
Staff (Alphabetically)
This singing, tap-dancing thespian keeps the Library running with super IT skills…and coffee.
Naomi grew up on Waldron and can't imagine wanting to be anywhere but the islands. She loves good stories in all their forms, knitting with fun colors, and hiking around local parks listening to audiobooks!
An aficionado of numbers, Heather loves when things add up! When she's not crunching numbers or illuminating the Library with her contagious laugh, you can find her hiking and adventuring about.
Favorite hobbies besides reading are traveling, obstacle course racing and watching her chickens run around. She is fascinated by alligators and crocodiles, but is terrified of cockroaches.
Finding herself with no cows to chase, Pat has taken to wrangling books at the Library when she is not out horsing around…
Elizabeth was born and raised in SW Washington. She has lived in another country but never another state. Some of her favorite activities include listening to audiobooks, eating, and hanging out with her cats. As a lifelong practitioner of karate, Elizabeth spent the last five years teaching in her own dojo.
Sharon, a cruciverbalist, was born in Vermont. She’s lived in the midwest (Michigan), southwest (Arizona) , southern California, and northwest (Washington). She has no plans to complete the square by moving to Florida.
Ditched urban life for rural living on five acres with a guitar playing chords man, one barky dog, four quacking ducks, and a cat from the Galapagos who brings bull froggies home for dinner. For a little peace and quiet Melina plays bells every Monday night with the High Class Ding-a-lings.
An enthusiast of books and libraries, Heidi enjoys walks and hikes; exploring and traveling; and cooking new vegan recipes.
Our resident Wonder Woman prefers listening to audio books rather than actually reading. Stephanie just recently learned how to swim, someday wishes to be able to do one pull up, and her favorite game to play is Words with Friends.
Anthony wandered out of the deserts of Utah to live his best life in the Pacific Northwest. When he isn't causing or solving chaos at the library, he loves wandering beaches and trying new hobbies. Most recently, he can be found keeping bees, baking bread, playing Go, and quilting.
Two conversations with strangers have influenced Brenna's life: one with an Orcas Island resident, the other with a naturalist who once lived in Friday Harbor. The advice they gave her boils down to two things: "why not you" and "you gotta chase it". In her free time Brenna is often playing with her dog, usually exploring the island, and always looking for whales.
Kasey is an island-raised bookworm who briefly experimented with living on the East Coast before retreating back to the West. When she isn't reading, she can be found watching movies, walking other people's dogs, or trying to learn to knit. She loves traveling and is always looking for an excuse to throw a tea party!
Abby has thrown out her heavy Idaho snow gear for good and embraced the PNW life since moving to Salem, Oregon for a brief pit stop before landing here on the island. When not wrangling books, she's attempting to wrangle her cats (the loves of her life), getting to know her new home, and trying every hobby she can. If it's crafty, she's probably already elbows deep.
Sue and her husband made Friday Harbor their permanent home in 1998. Some of her favorite activities include spending time with family, bird watching, beach combing for agates, and exploring all the trails that San Juan Island has to offer.
Substitute Library Staff
Aoife (pronounced Ee-fuh) is a home educator with a passion for teaching kids how to read. She is obsessed with anything Disney parks related and the science of reading. When she's not reading, she enjoys doing puzzles, making homemade artisan ice cream, and homeschooling her son. You can usually find her with her nose stuck in a book, and she's always ready with a book recommendation.
Kim grew up in Sacramento, CA and spent most of those long hot summers in the swimming pool. Currently enjoy teaching others to swim and be safe in the pool. Nice to have a job out of the pool as well, subbing at the library. Gained a love of hiking when she lived and worked at a lodge at the Grand Canyon before moving to San Juan Island.
Katlyn was born and raised in the forests, mountains and waterways of Alaska and now is working with her skilled husband, imaginative son and goofy dog to reawaken the bones of an old island farm. Katlyn loves being silly with her family, being in her gardens (yes plural, send help), swimming in or watching the ocean, being curious, traveling back to Alaska, writing, exploring new places, disappearing in a book and not following recipes in the kitchen.
Marty is an intrepid traveler and often can be found exploring the sights in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Her five wonderful grandchildren lure her to Saipan and San Francisco often. When she is on island, Marty is a keen reader, singer, and is always ready with a smile!
My dad made me a lifelong, devoted reader of the Sunday NYT. I love to make pies. Also enjoys: art, architecture, landscape design, hiking, gardening, the symphony and foreign films.