Why Should Delaware Care?
Before 2018, the Wilmington library was a common space for books and research. Since then, it has become a community hotspot for residents, as celebrity speaker events and other programming have become common practice at the institution. The library’s success has been attributed to its executive director, Jamar Rahming. But with his recent departure from the role, the library’s future has become uncertain.
Over the past five years, big names have come to Wilmington’s little library system, including activist Angela Davis, award-winning actor LeVar Burton and Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick.
The popular speaker series with its high-profile guests has drawn crowds and praise for the library, including winning the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for such institutions. But, now, many locals are questioning whether the programming at the busy cultural venue will be the same following the resignation of its executive director, Jamar Rahming.
Rahming officially resigned last week from the Wilmington Institute Free Library to accept a new position as CEO at the Cuyahoga County Public Library – a library system that encompasses Cleveland and its suburbs.
Since 2018, Rahming led the Wilmington institution through a period of rapid growth, expanding its youth outreach and attracting nationally recognized celebrities, authors, and political leaders to the city.
“I think that I’ve done everything that I’ve set out to accomplish here. And so, as a leader, I think that when your work is done, then it’s time to go,” Rahming told Spotlight Delaware in an interview.
Cyndee Landrum, the library’s new interim executive director, will now oversee day-to-day operations and assist the library’s board of directors with their search for Rahming’s successor.
Landrum, who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, most recently served for six years as acting director and deputy director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal office that provides resources to libraries and museums and similar institutions.
Landrum said that she hopes to find a new executive director for Wilmington’s library by the end of this year, though there is no set deadline to fill the position.
And, as the search for new leadership begins, both city residents and library officials question whether the next person can build on the momentum that Rahming created.
“We don’t know what’s gonna happen, because he’s the man,” Wilmington resident Kenny Bond said. “He brought all these people here, who else can do what he does?”
Others expressed fear that the library’s creative direction could change.
Sebastian Northey-Primer, the library’s operations manager who came on board midway through Rahming’s tenure, said he’s “terrified” to see the library take a more traditional approach in the future.
He said he hopes the next executive director understands that “we’re a unique spot.”
“I like the types of stuff we do, with interacting with our homeless population and tying in different community events and finding ways to piece those things together,” he said.
‘Bring the world to Wilmington’
During his seven-year tenure, Rahming redefined the Wilmington library for the working-class city. After canvassing neighborhoods early in his term, he and his team found that many residents had never traveled beyond the city.
It was a realization that shaped Rahming’s vision to “bring the world to Wilmington.”
In 2020, the library under Rahming’s leadership started what became an intensely popular initiative – its celebrity speaker series. Among the invitees for the series were nationally recognized figures, such as actresses Keke Palmer and Phylicia Rashad, ballerina Misty Copeland, and NBA legend Dennis Rodman.
The free events often filled the library auditorium to capacity, offering what Rahming described as “cosmopolitan experiences” to the city’s Black community members, who might not otherwise have access to them.
Northey-Primer recounted the particular popularity of a 2022 library event that reunited the cast of “A Different World,” a television spinoff of the iconic “Cosby Show.”
“When the tickets went on sale, they were gone in 13 seconds. 22,000 people clicked the link to try to get them,” he said, noting that interest came from people from all over the country.
As a result of the programming and events, the Wilmington library now serves about 300,000 people a year, Rahming said.
Just last month, the library hosted politician and author Stacey Abrams and actor Blair Underwood. Both events were sold out.
“It’s a good distraction from what we’ve got to face when we walk out the door,” said Nykisha Gaines, a Wilmington resident who’s also worked as a photographer for the library’s celebrity events since 2023.
Gaines, who is also a rapper, was present at the library for the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop in 2023, where she was able to see some of her favorite artists, such as KRS-1 and Slick Rick.
“To be able to be under the same roof with somebody who inspired me, inspired my writing ability, my producing abilities, definitely was life-changing for me. But it also stirred up some areas within me that’s been dormant when it comes to the music producing or writing the lyrics,” she said.
Rahming’s focus on bringing celebrities to the library to inspire the community helped earn the institution national acclaim and personal recognition. He was recognized by Library Journal, receiving the 2023 Movers & Shakers award in the Community Builders category.
Beyond celebrity programming, Rahming has launched partnerships with local barbers to place children’s books in barbershops, organized pitch competitions to support minority-owned small businesses, and worked with the nonprofit Harper’s Heart to establish a diaper bank and community closet on the library’s second floor.
He has also established partnerships with Literacy Delaware and the Foundation project, which helps seniors, low-income families and first-time renters furnish their homes for free. Both organizations are also housed in the library.
Library finances
Although Rahming’s direction has been pivotal to the growth of the library, he notes that stakeholders, including the State of Delaware, New Castle County, and the City of Wilmington, have been supportive of his operations.
“The advocacy for libraries in Delaware is probably the best in the country, in my opinion,” he said.
The library operates on an annual budget of more than $3 million, with the majority coming from New Castle County and a smaller portion provided by the State of Delaware.
The Wilmington Library Foundation – a nonprofit organization separate from the library itself – also raises private funds to support the library’s celebrity speaker events and other programs, said Rahming, who also served as executive director for the foundation.
Tax documents for the Wilmington Library Foundation show that the entity held more than $2 million in investments in 2022 – the most recent year that documents are publicly available.
The tax documents also show the foundation’s expenses at about $15,000 in 2022 and about $17,000 in 2021.
Asked how the foundation can support a celebrity speaker series with such modest expenditures, Landrum said many guests are on book tours across the East Coast, making a stop in Wilmington convenient and not costly.
The library also relies on grants and fundraising to cover certain costs.
The Library’s annual fundraising gala, Dancing with the Delaware Stars, pairs local public figures and community leaders with choreographers from the Christina Cultural Arts Center to compete in a dance-off. The event raises about $100,000 each year to support library programs.
Will the successor be ‘equally dynamic’?
While Rahming’s impact is widely recognized, the leadership transition has raised questions about the future of the library’s high-profile events and community initiatives.
“We set the precedent now for not just this library, but for other libraries across the country. So we’ve got to continue to follow our own blueprint,” said Jason McCall Sr., a Wilmington resident who’s been attending library events and programs since 2019.
Landrum assures the board is looking for a director who can maintain the programs and services that Rahming started at a “high level.” She also said that he left a “road map” for the staff, with many of his connections, so that the programming can continue.
“We will find someone who will probably be different than Jamar, but who will also be equally as dynamic, maybe in a different way, and be able to be equally as successful in serving the people of Wilmington,” she said.
Despite the uncertainty, Rahming says he is confident that the foundation that he has set will allow the next director to further the work that he has done.
“It’s just incumbent upon the next person to come in and build. And surely, and hopefully, they’ll come in and do even greater work than I’ve done,” he said. “That’s the goal.”
