San Rafael, CA – The Marin City Library has made history: By adding five hours on Fridays, the branch is the first Marin County Free Library (MCFL) to be open seven days a week in the 87-year history of the MCFL system.
“I’ve been waiting for this for years,” said patron Christine Donahue. “It’s finally here!”
The branch at 164 Donahue Street, first opened in 1997, is now open from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays following a soft launch on March 6. The staff members modified their work schedules to add the seventh day of service each week, and the renewal of a library parcel tax known as Measure A in June 2014 made the option possible.
Community Library Specialist Diana Lopez said on Fridays she will have more time to emphasize a popular science, technology, engineering, digital art and math curricula called STEAM. The branch also is home to a 3D printer, and the public will have more of a chance to use it Fridays along with free Internet and wifi access.
“We serve a disadvantaged community here and I’m really into promoting STEAM programs, especially for girls and minorities,” Lopez said. “It’s really important to me that kids in this community know they can be engineers, architects and designers. But overall I’m really happy that we’ll be serving our community seven days a week.”
The 10 MCFL branches have various hours of operation. Saturday is the only day that all 10 are open. Learn more at www.marinlibrary.org/locations.