WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg Regional Library recently received three state awards from the Virginia Public Library Directors Association: the Unique Outreach award, the Impactful Technology Use award and the Gold Standards of Excellence award.
The Unique Outreach award recognizes the library’s collaboration with the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra on the M3loDy Makers initiative, which the library said promotes musical equity by offering professional instruction and quality violins to local students.
This partnership began in 2024, when WRL supporter Nanci Bond proposed using the library’s 3D printing technology to create affordable, durable violins for students, the library explains. This innovation, refined with the help of musicians, produces violins costing only $40 each that mimic traditional instruments in tone and playability.
“This partnership with the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra showcases how libraries foster both equity and innovation,” said Library Director Sandy Towers. “By equipping each child in the pilot program with a violin for both home and school use, WRL is inspiring creativity and learning.”
WRL said it also received the Impactful Technology Use award for its WRLtv and WRL e-reader collections, which expands access to technology and digital content. WRLtv includes 20 Roku Express devices, 16 Roku Sticks, and three Firesticks, providing a range of streaming services, including Spanish-language options. Additionally, the WRL e-reader collection features Fire tablets, Kindle Paperwhites, and Kindle Kids Fire Tablets, each preloaded with over 400 popular titles spanning genres including romance, science fiction and nonfiction.
“The Impactful Technology Use award highlights WRL’s dedication to bridging the digital divide for our community,” said Towers. “With these innovative digital collections, we aim to make both entertainment and literature more accessible to everyone.”
This year, WRL said it maintained the Gold Standard of Excellence for exemplary performance across all public service categories: governance and administration, funding, staffing and staff development, access and services, collections, facilities, technology, programming, publicity, and advocacy.
These categories align with the Library of Virginia’s Standards for Virginia Public Libraries, which provide benchmarks for direction and aspiration for state library systems to ensure that all Virginians will be well-served, the library adds.
“WRL strives to maintain the highest standards and provide users with outstanding service, and receiving this award for the second year demonstrates that the library continues to achieve that goal,” said Towers.
Learn more about WRL by visiting wrl.org.
