Marin County Free Library is a medium-sized public library

Public library

A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...

 system that serves the unincorporated areas of Marin County

Marin County, California

Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...

, as well as municipalities in the County that are not served by a city-run public library. Library administration located in Room 414 in the Marin County Civic Center

Marin County Civic Center

Marin County Civic Center, the last commission by Frank Lloyd Wright, is located in San Rafael, California. Groundbreaking for the Civic Center Administration Building took place in 1960, after Wright's death and under the watch of Wright's protégé, Aaron Green, and was completed in 1962. The...

 at 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael

San Rafael, California

San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, 94903 United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

History

The Marin County Free Library was established in 1926 by the County's Board of Supervisors. In 1927, Muriel Wright opened its first branch in the basement of what was at the time the County Courthouse in San Rafael.

Funding

The library is funded predominantly by a parcel tax levied on properties within its jurisdiction.

Branches

The Marin County Free Library serves two core communities in Marin County. The eastern half of the County is heavily developed and branches in the area are typically larger and serve incorporated communities. The western half of the County is largely rural, and the branches in the region are smaller and serve predominantly unincorporated communities. The west Marin branches are administered jointly by a single manager.

East Marin

• Civic Center Branch (San Rafael
  San Rafael, California
  San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
  
  )
  • Located in Room 427 of the Marin County Civic Center Building
• Corte Madera Branch (Corte Madera
  Corte Madera, California
  Corte Madera is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Corte Madera is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of 39 feet . The population was 9,253 at the 2010 census...
  
  )
• Fairfax Branch (Fairfax
  Fairfax, California
  Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 115 feet...
  
  )
• Marin City Branch (Marin City
  Marin City, California
  Marin City, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Marin County, California, United States. It is located northwest of downtown Sausalito, at an elevation of 23 feet . Marin City was developed for housing starting in 1942, to accommodate war-time shipyard workers and other...
  
  , Unincorporated area)
• Novato Branch (Novato
  Novato, California
  Novato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...
  
  )
• South Novato Branch (Novato)

West Marin

• Bolinas Branch (Unincorporated area
  Unincorporated area
  In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
  
  )
• Inverness Branch (Unincorporated area)
• Point Reyes Branch (Unincorporated area)
• Stinson Beach Branch (Unincorporated area)

External links

• Marin County Free Library