Volunteers with the Clallam County Genealogical Society want to help people get in touch with their roots — even in a time of physical and social distancing.

Founded in 1981, the nonprofit organization assisting those interested in genealogy and family history have a new research center at 403 Eighth St., Port Angeles, a facility the group hopes to open soon as health guidelines allow.

“Normal” operating hours for the center are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Partial opening is anticipated as restrictions are relaxed, CCGS board member Paul Wessel.

The center has space for eight to 10 people to conduct research, masked and physically separated.

When COVID-19 recedes and the center is open, Wessel said, there will be volunteers on hand to help members and guests.

When open, Clallam County Genealogical Society (CCGS) members and guests can use the four computer terminals for online research. Free use of sites that normally charge is provided for Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, Genealogybank.com and others. Terminals also provide access to many free sites such as state and county archives, local genealogy and history societies and other free sites such as findagrave.com.

Wessel notes that the center also has a library with thousands of books, maps, genealogy magazines and how-to guides. The material covers the United States and many international areas as well.

There is an extensive collection of Clallam County historical publications and an indexed obituary file for the local area that goes back many years. The library has desks and reading spaces for those doing research.

The center includes a meeting room large enough for 40 or more, a small conference room, classroom, kitchenette, lounge and bathrooms; it is handicapped accessible.

CCGS members meet monthly. Meetings are open to the public and typically cover society business and a speaker or program on genealogy, Wessel said.

Each year there are one- or two all-day seminars with speakers and genealogy professionals who share their research ideas and experience. The society has members who are accredited as professional genealogists and, for a fee, will carry out research or help with difficult problems.