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Library Services

Reference Services * Special collections
Children's Services
Audio-Visual Services
Inter-library Loans
Special Programs

Reference Services (302) - 571 - 7416 -We look forward to helping you with your question, whatever it might be.

The Reference Desk exists to help you find information. The Reference staff are trained information professionals with access to a variety of electronic and book resources. We can help you locate an obituary, research a mutual fund, find out about an NFL football player, get a business' address, and much much more.

The Reference Desk is staffed during all hours that the library is open. Reference questions are taken on a first come, first serve basis.

There are four ways to access Reference Services:
1.) Call the Reference Desk at (302) 571-7416
2.) Walk-in for in-person service.
3.) Write to the Reference staff at:

Wilmington Public Library C/O Reference Desk 10th and Market Sts. Wilmington, DE 19801 4.) E-mail a librarian at: askref@wilmnet.lib.de.us

Please include exact dates, names and other pertinent information pertaining to the information request. The more descriptive you are, the better we can help you. Please allow several working days to fill the request. A self-addressed, stamped envelope is greatly appreciated. The library reserves the right to charge for the cost of printing materials.

$ 0.25 per page for copies from microfilm.
$ 0.15 per page for photocopies.
$ 0.10 per page for copies printed from a computer.

The library catalog contains records for all of the books, CDs, videos and periodicals which the library owns. If you can not find the book you are interested in, please call the library and we will be happy to locate a copy for you. If we can not purchase the book, we will try to borrow the book from another library through our Inter-library Loan service.

Special Collections

Genealogical/Historical

The Wilmington Library was established in 1788 and has, therefore, been collecting Delaware resources for quite a long time. The attached list is only a selection of the materials in the Library. The following are the resources that many people find particularly useful.

1. Delaware Index. Wilmington Library staff maintains an old card index of local Wilmington newspapers, magazines and history books. The index was created during the years 1920-1977. The index is in two parts: 1. A topical listing which includes historical events; 2. A biographical section listing famous Delawareans.

2. Delaware Newspapers. Our collection of newspapers begins in the 1880's. We have the News Journal, Morning News, Sunday Morning Star, Every Evening and Evening Journal on microfilm. Patrons can use our microfilm machines to copy articles from the newspapers. In addition, we have the Delaware State News in paper from 1923 - present, however, missing are those from 1930, 1939, 1940 and 1947-1968.

3. Delaware Room. Our collection of historical Delaware materials is kept in a locked room. The collection is not designed for browsing but is well indexed in our Delaware index and card catalogs. The materials that we collect include: Delaware authors; industrial/company materials; legal materials, periodicals and other assorted materials about Delaware's past. We also have a clipping file of Wilmington newspaper articles that are indexed in the Delaware index mentioned above.

4. City Directories / Cross Reference / Phone books. Although the earliest volume in the collection is the city directory of 1814, the more complete collection begins in the 1880's. The collection is not complete but is quite extensive.

5. Historical maps. Our collection of early Delaware maps is kept in the reference department. Maps show Delaware from colonial times to present. Our maps are indexed in our card catalog and patrons can search by geographic area and time period.

6. Delaware Census. We have the Delaware census on microfilm from 1810 to 1930.

7. For more current information from the News Journal and Delaware Today, call the reference desk. The reference librarians have access to two databases that index these sources. The Librarians on staff have created an index of top stories from the local newspapers from 1989 to the present. The Library also subscribes to Newsbank, a full-text database that covers the News Journal from 2002 to the present. A Wilmington Librarian would be happy to search for you, just call 302-571-7416.

African-American Collection

The extensive African-American Collection of books, video and audio cassettes was presented to the Library in 1989 by the Civil Rights Commemorative Commission and the Wilmington City Council in honor of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Bill. All materials are available for circulation in the Audio-Visual Center.

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Internet Resources (Click to go to)

Wilmington librarians hand-picked these Internet resources. Each site had to meet several criteria including being authoritative, current, easy to use, and informative.
Please feel free to call 571-7416 or ask a reference librarian to assist you in finding Internet resources.

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Children's Services 571-7412

The Children's department is managed by a full-time children's librarian. We offer special programming for children to help increase literature and install the love of reading. To see a list of upcoming events, please see "Just 4 Kids." The library staff look forward to helping children with their homework assignments and other information needs.

Normal Story Hours:
Wilmington Library:
Tuesday: 10:00 AM (Preschool Ages)
Thursday: 10:00 AM (Preschool Ages)

North Wilmington Branch Library:
Tuesday 10:30 AM

La Biblioteca del Pueblo:
Tuesday 10:00 AM (for 2-3 year olds)
Friday 10:00 AM (for 4-5 year olds)

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Audio-Visual Services 571-7400

The library's spectacular audio-visual collection contains over 5,500 new and classic videos, 3,500 CDs, 4,000 books on tape, and 1,000 cassettes. The Library also has a growing collection of DVDs and CD-ROMs. Knowledgeable Library staff are available for assistance should you require any help finding or selecting materials. Library patrons can even call ahead for same day "pick-up" for quicker service. Most materials are on a first come, first serve basis.
To maintain its excellent collection, the library must charge a service fee for the use of its audio-visual materials. To see a list of borrowing audio-visual times and fees, click on "Library Cards, Borrowing and Fines."

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Inter-Library Loans 571-7421 wilmill@lib.de.us

If the Wilmington Public Library system does not own requested materials, we will try to borrow the materials from other libraries in a nationwide search.

The library reserves the right to charge a fee if the inter-library loan exceeds $5.00. (This rarely occurs and you will be informed ahead of time should any costs be incurred.)
The library from which the material is borrowed determines the borrowing period for requested materials.
We may try to renew the material once, but the lending library gives final approval for renewals.

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Special Programs 571-7400 The library has a variety of special programs for children and adults through the year. Many programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Wilmington Library and other generous businesses and organizations. If you or your business would like to help, please call 571-7401. Please look for notices about the Art on the Town: Art Loop, Semi-annual Book Sales, and Book Discussions. Click here to discover the latest events for adults or children.

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