Loving the outdoors after years in the desert, Laurie is hiking and traveling, currently exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest region. Other hobbies include spotting (real) and collecting (fake) foxes, Spider Solitaire, playing April Fools' jokes on coworkers, and making folded book art (the only acceptable form of folding book pages, don’t you know?).
Staff (Alphabetically)
This singing, tap-dancing thespian keeps the Library running with super IT skills…and coffee.
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.
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.
Born and raised in New Mexico, Gabriel moved to San Juan Island in 2019. After a brief return to New Mexico, he's here to stay. A small business owner for three years, he ran a tailor shop making clothing and performing repairs and alterations on island and in Taos, New Mexico before becoming the Outreach Coordinator at the Library. Gabriel is also a musician, carpenter, avid outdoorsman and proud papa of a tiny black dog named Stormy.
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.
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.
Lauren stumbled upon a life here in the San Juan Islands after many travels to pursue a career in Early Childhood Education. In her spare time, she is always chasing a project, enjoys basking in the South Beach sun, making you laugh, and cooking wholesome, nurturing foods.
Substitute Library Staff