Item selection from a visual list when item also has other functionalities

I need to create a visual list of items from which user can select the items they want to add to favourite items.

Selecting items must work on both mobile and desktop. Therefore app is implemented as website. So some of the means to select items on mobile apps may not be applicable.

Selecting items is used by teachers to plan what they are teaching in a semester, so it is not used often. Selecting should be easy to grasp just because it is used rarely. In addition to selecting, teachers also must be able to access additional info on items presented on the list. This access to additional info is used more often.

I've tried to look for examples of this kind of selection but selecting and accessing additional info are almost always combined as a card. But our client is adamant on everything on the app being very visual and everything should be visible immediately. So cards are out of the question.

I could either make the selection persistent and add a way to make selection on every item. This adds visual clutter to the view.

Or I could make the view have two states: select and read. It adds less visual clutter but feels cumbersome.