Monday, April 14, 2025: Mary Riley Styles Public Library has received two awards - for impactful marketing and outreach campaign and for outstanding staff member - from the Virginia Public Library Directors Association (VPLDA). Both awards focused on Virginia libraries serving under 25,000 people. MRSPL also again received VPLDA's Gold Standard for Excellence.
Award for Impactful Marketing & Outreach Campaign
The 2025 Impactful Marketing/Public Relations Award for a population under 25,000 was given to Mary Riley Styles Public Library for being recognized for its outstanding 125th anniversary celebration! This year-long milestone showcased the library’s deep connection to its community through a thoughtfully designed anniversary logo, a look at library cards across the decades, highlighting the catalog for the original 1899 collection, and most importantly, dynamic interdepartmental collaboration. By weaving history, creativity, and community engagement into the celebration, the library honored its past while inspiring the future. This well-deserved recognition highlights the library’s dedication to innovation, teamwork, and meaningful public service.
View the Library's 125 Anniversary website
Award for Outstanding Staff Member
The 2025 VPLDA Outstanding Staff Member of the Year Award for a population under 25,000 was given to Paula Hawkins at Mary Riley Styles Public Library for her leadership in celebrating Mary Riley Style’s 125th anniversary celebration! This milestone campaign was a testament to her leadership, collaborative spirit, and creative vision. Paula’s dedication brought together a dynamic planning team to craft a celebration that honored the library’s rich history while engaging the community in meaningful ways. Through innovative marketing and thoughtful programming, the campaign showcased the library’s lasting impact.
Virginia Public Library Gold Standard of Excellence
Mary Riley Styles Public Library was also recognized for meeting the gold standard for benchmarks set forth in The Standards for Virginia Public Libraries (published by the Library of Virginia) and covering the following categories:
- Governance and Administration
- Funding
- Staffing and Staff Development
- Access and Services
- Collections
- Facilities
- Technology
- Programming, Publicity, and Advocacy
About VPLDA
The Virginia Public Library Directors Association brings together library directors from Virginia's 93 public library systems.