Wilmington Institute Library, serving an area of 21,000 residents, has a collection of 210,000 books and periodicals; in addition, there are 9,600 CDs, records, cassettes and other audio materials, as well as 5,800 video items, such as DVDs and VHS tapes. Internet terminals are available for use by the general public.
Staffing consists of 31 employees, of whom 7 are fully accredited librarians, plus volunteers. Annual expenditures on the library collection total $340,000. Patrons make 310,000 visits annually, and check out materials 370,000 times. Twenty-one percent of all check-outs are children's materials.