LOCAL

Creative library project underway in Wilmington to spur community and economic development

Anitra Johnson
Delaware News Journal
  • The new "Think. Do. Hub." to offer resources and space for community engagement, entrepreneurship and neighborhood development.
  • The project is one of many library renovation and construction projects throughout the state.
  • The forthcoming library campus, along with EastSide Charter School's STEM center, will also be a part of a new, educational landscape in Wilmington.

The construction of a $22 million library facility on North Market Street in Wilmington is underway. Groundbreaking at the site began at the end of February. Once complete, the building will serve as a new community amenity called a Think. Do. Hub.

Located a block from the current North Wilmington Branch Library, the future community center is being built on the city side of the border between Wilmington and New Castle County at 3905 N. Market St., the site of a former Saab dealership. The building is scheduled to open in summer 2025.

The project is considered an expansion of the North Wilmington Library Branch on North Market Street. Both libraries are an extension of the city’s main library, the Wilmington Public Library, located at 10th and Market streets. These advancements, in addition to EastSide Charter School's STEM center, also in construction, are poised to shape a new, dynamic educational landscape in Wilmington.

Fans stand in line to enter a book talk and signing event for And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self a book by Common, rapper, actor, writer and activist, at the Wilmington Public Library on Friday, Jan 26, 2024. A capacity crowd of approximately 350 people attended.

The Think. Do. Hub and North Wilmington Library Branch will form a "library campus," according to Sen. Darius Brown who pushed for the project. Brown said the Think. Do. Hub will be a place for family learning, digital equity and neighborhood development. The expansion is intended to focus on community workforce and skill development for area residents. The existing North Wilmington Library Branch will continue to operate as a traditional library but with increased capacity for hosting meetings and events following its $6 million renovation. Brown said collectively, the library campus also has the potential to be a driving force for economic revitalization and attract further investment along North Market Street.

A library for everyone

Funding to renovate the North Wilmington Branch Library and build the Think. Do. Hub was secured in the fiscal year 2022-2023 state bond bill and with American Rescue Plan Act funds. The funding aligns with the state's ambition to enhance library services to meet the growing demand for digital technology access and education.

Brown said the state's investments in library expansion and improvement projects statewide began with the Wilmington library campus project. Initially, many libraries only had plans for smaller renovation and rehabilitation projects. However, by adopting the Wilmington campus funding model as a guide to secure required local match funds, renovation projects have evolved and new libraries are under construction up and down the state:

  • $5.5 million for the Harrington Library.
  • $900,000 for the Milford Public Library.
  • $250,000 for the Georgetown Public Library.
  • $4 million for the Newark Public Library.
  • $3 million for the Rehoboth Beach Public Library.
  • $7.8 million for the Friends of Duck Creek Regional Library.
  • $7 million for the Selbyville Library.
  • $750,000 for the Lewes Public Library.
  • $11 million for the North Wilmington Library.
Officials and Friends of the Duck Creek Regional Library members celebrate the groundbreaking on Oct. 11, 2023, at 22 S. Main St. for the planned building which will replace the Smyrna Public Library about a block south.

The Division of Libraries is asking for a 2.3% increase from the $6,215.6M it received in library standards funding for FY2024 with the state setting a goal to provide one square foot of public library space per person.

The population of the service area North Wilmington Branch Library serves is almost 40,000 people. The existing North Wilmington Library was only 12,000 square feet in a leased building that was originally not designed to be a library. The recently completed renovations of the North Wilmington Library increased the square footage of the library by 24,000 square feet bringing a total of 36,000 square feet of library space for the service area.

Design details about the Think. Do. Hub have not been released. However, state officials said the building will include space for small business assistance, a wellness center, coworking space and other features that support workforce and skill development.

New Castle County to pay majority of libraries' operation costs

Daily library operation and maintenance costs are funded through several sources, including by local governments and nonprofit organizations. In general, counties shoulder approximately 85% of these expenses, so the majority of operating funds for the Think. Do. Hub and the North Wilmington Branch Library will be paid by New Castle County property owners.

The county provided $1,809,099 for operations for the two existing Wilmington Public libraries, in the fiscal year 2024 and an an additional $100,000 per year for 15 years for the current renovated and expanded North Wilmington Branch Library.

A North Market Street pole sign in Wilmington indicates where to find the local branch library.

According to New Castle County officials, state leaders have not submitted a proposal to New Castle County. New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, currently a candidate for governor, said operational funding for the impending North Wilmington library campus will not be required until fiscal year 2027. New Castle County Council along with the next New Castle County executive administration will be responsible for determining the funding.

Brown said he expects the operational costs will be funded by the county under the library standards formula because the Think. Do. Hub is an expansion of the current library rather than a new library.

Multiple learning centers to offer opportunities within one-mile radius

The North Wilmington Branch Library and Think. Do. Hub are located less than a mile from EastSide Charter School's $26.5 million STEM center. Construction of the school building began in 2023. Once built, the state-of-the-art facility will be open to the public for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, said Aaron Bass, the charter school's CEO.

In collaboration with the Wilmington Public Library, as well as private and public sponsors including NASA, Barclays, Code Differently, NERDiT NOW and DETV, EastSide Charter School's STEM center will offer students, and the community, training and use of cutting-edge technology such as coding, robotics, gaming, 3D printing and laser cutters. In addition, community residents will be able to use amenities such as audio-visual equipment, a recording studio and communal space for career fairs and training events.

EASTSIDE CHARTER SCHOOL OFFERS ACCESS:Minorities remain underrepresented in STEM. A new science center aims to change that.

All three libraries will provide:

  • Meeting space.
  • Literacy programs.
  • Job training and workforce development resources.
  • Digital technology access and computer skills training.
  • Resources for entrepreneurship.

Through partnerships with Nemours, Westside Health and private mental health service providers, EastSide Charter School's STEM center will also include a student health center to provide health care services for enrolled students.

You can contact reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com.