Lesley Talley, Assistant Library Director of the Safford City-Graham County Library, has been developing programs for patrons of all ages for twelve years. Lesley also serves as a grant writer, focusing on programming related grants including two NEA Big Read awards and the Space Science Institute’s STEAM Equity and Exoplanet Projects. Libraries have been a lifelong love for Lesley, starting when she was a little kid reading every book the Globe Library had to offer, volunteering as a teen, and later visiting libraries with her four children. She is passionate about inspiring that same love of learning in others through providing relevant, engaging opportunities for her community. In her free time Lesley enjoys reading, spending time with her family and dogs, traveling, and trying new recipes.
Elizabeth Henley has been the Early Literacy Coordinator at the Safford City-Graham County Library for four years. Her role includes story time programming, picture book collection development, events, and preschool outreach. She believes you are never too old for a picture book and feels a career highlight has been their library’s recognition at the Library of Congress Literacy Awards. A bucket list item of hers is to hike the Cotswold Way in England, but for now she’ll settle for the transportive power of authors like Oge Mora, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Gil McNeil, Colin Meloy, Jenny Colgan, and Suzanne Woods Fisher. Elizabeth’s background is in theatre education, a skill set she uses every day at the library. When she is not in library land she enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dogs, eating ice cream, singing, and lap swim. #freepeoplereadfreely
