At The Friends of The Seattle Public Library’s Annual Board meeting, two volunteers were honored as Friends of the Year. Thank you both, and congratulations! Here are their nominating statements:
Patricia Ann is a tireless worker for both the donation center and the Friendshop at the Central Library. She works once a week at the donation center scanning and filing books and helping with all other duties as assigned. She also voluntarily checks the stacks for books that are suitable for sale at the Friendshop and thus has helped to increase the sales of books at the shop because of her superb culling.
She is considered to be the “Book Lady” at the Friendshop and can answer any question about the books from customers. She responds to inquiries ranging from: “where are the fiction/or nonfiction books?” to “what book would you recommend for my weekend reading?” At the shop, she volunteers to work extra shifts at the Friendshop as needed, especially in a pinch. She also drops in to the shop periodically to “make sure all the books are in order.” She is an invaluable resource at both volunteer spots. 
Jessica Torrez-Riley joined the FriendShop team September 2015 and has been an asset since she began. From the beginning Jessica ran beyond her responsibilities as a volunteer who cashiers and assists customers. She quickly became a representative and advocate for the Friends of The Seattle Public Library not only while in the FriendShop but on social media. Jessica introduced our organization to Eventbrite and Facebook events which drew crowds to our sales both big and small. She responded quickly to the crowds of the large book sale when the room hit capacity both in person and online by posting and responding on social media and by placing herself as the Friends’ representative alongside the officer who had to turn people away. She acts quickly and responsibly and is a true Friend of the Year! 