Prince William Public Libraries recently received a continent-wide honor from a North American nonprofit dedicated to promoting urban libraries.

The Urban Libraries Council named the county’s libraries as a “Top Innovator” for 2025 in the contest’s “advocacy and awareness” category, according to a county news release.

The award recognized Prince William’s “Finding a Way to Slay Among Gen Z” initiative, which sought to defy teen stereotypes regarding public libraries by intertwining a teen volunteer with library staff to develop new ideas.

“I’m incredibly proud of the collaboration between our librarians, communications and marketing team and — most notably — our teen volunteer for crafting such an inventive script … ” Jennifer Patterson, director of Prince William Public Libraries, said in the release. “This recognition reinforces our mission to bring people, information, and ideas together in a welcoming, inclusive environment.”

The council’s Innovations Initiative involves an annual showcase of projects from among its over 200 member libraries across the U.S. and Canada.

Prince William Public Libraries also received a “Top Innovator” award from the council in 2021 in the “health and wellness” award category.

“The Innovations Initiative highlights the best of what libraries across North America offer their communities,” said Brooks Rainwater, president and CEO of the Urban Libraries Council. “In a year that has proved especially challenging for libraries, this year’s winners, honorable mentions and nominees all demonstrate our urban libraries are as important, resilient, and forward-thinking as ever.”