Marin County's public library system is expected to reopen during the week of April 19. (Photo courtesy of Marin County)

The Marin County Free Library will reopen most of its branches starting the week of April 19 for express service following a shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, county officials said Thursday.

Operations at the branches will be modified but will allow for express service, which provides select services and in-person browsing for 30 minutes each visit.

Branches will open to limited capacity to ensure for physical distancing for patrons and staff. Patrons will be asked to wear a mask inside a branch.

“After a long year of only providing outdoor services, we are absolutely thrilled to open our doors once again,” said Gabriella Calicchio, interim director for Marin County Free Library.

Express service will be provided at the Bolinas, Fairfax, Inverness, Novato, Point Reyes Station, and Stinson Beach branches. Other specific services will vary by branch and patrons are encouraged to go to the library’s website for details.

County officials will announce later the reopening dates for the Civic Center, Corte Madera, Marin City and South Novato branch libraries.

The library will continue to provide curbside service at all locations, but service hours may change.

Keith Burbank, Bay City News

Keith Burbank is currently a fulltime reporter covering Alameda County and Oakland news for Bay City News. He has also worked on the Data Points project for Local News Matters, finding trends and stories about the region through data. In 2019, he was a California Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, producing a series about homeless deaths in Santa Clara County. He worked as a swing shift editor for the newswire for several years as well. Outside of journalism, Keith enjoys computer programming, math, economics and music.