Central (downtown Buffalo)
Welcome to the downtown Central Library!
Central Library Regular/non-holiday/non-emergency hours
Monday & Tuesday: 8 am - 6 pm
Wednesday & Thursday: 8 am - 8 pm
Friday & Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm
Sunday: 12 pm - 5 pm
The fully accessible Washington Street doors to enter/exit the building are open during all library hours. The Washington St. entrance is located across from Lafayette Square, between Broadway and Clinton Streets.
Important - the Library's Ellicott Street, underpass entrance to the building is open during limited hours: Monday-Friday.
Download This Week @ Central Schedule Here
Coming Up @ Central Library & Online: August 15 - August 23, 2026
Saturday, August 15 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9:30 AM - 1:30 PM Queen City Workers' Center Retreat. Central Meeting Room *
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Central Library Tour. Meet @ Café
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM United Somali Alliance of Buffalo Meeting. Collections Gallery Conference Room
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room *
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM America's 250th Anniversary Concert: West Seneca Town Band. Auditorium
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Stitch Circle. Launch Pad MakerSpace
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pint-sized Picassos. West Room
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Virtual Saturdays. Teen Space
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Teen Jewelry Making. Teen Space
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
Sunday, August 16 Library closed. Sunday hours resume September 13.
Monday, August 17 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Interactive Journaling Program Group Sessions. West Room *
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM Art Break. West Room
Tuesday, August 18 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Tiny Tots Storytime. Children's Room
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM It Takes a Village Action Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room *
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Tarot Tuesday. Grosvenor Room
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Teen Crafting. Teen Space
4:30 PM - 5:50 PM ISUPK Meeting. West Room
Wednesday, August 19 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pick-up. Children's Room *
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Tea Blend Workshop. Collections Gallery Conference Room *
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Walk-up Tech Help. Information Services Desk or Computer Desk
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Movie Matinee: Encanto (2021). Ring of Knowledge
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Speculative Fiction Book Club. Collections Gallery Conference Room
Thursday, August 20 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM It Takes a Village Action Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room *
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Wellness @ Central. Main Concourse & West Room
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Walk-up Tech Help. Information Services Desk or Computer Desk
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pick-up. Children's Room *
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM CSEA Probation Section Membership Meeting. Central Meeting Room
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Information Table: Queen City Workers' Center. Near Computers
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM AP Gorny: Different from the Rest Curator's Tour. Meet @ Rare Book Room
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Lecture: "Weirdly Fascinating: The Library's Strangest Books." Ring of Knowledge
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM Buffalo Sewing Club. West Room
Friday, August 21 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Lecture: "AP Gorny's Book of Artist's Proofs." Ring of Knowledge
Saturday, August 22 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Craft & Create: Beaded Forever Plants. West Room *
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Once Upon a Piano: A Kids' Music & Storytelling Festival. Auditorium
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room *
12:30 PM - 3:30 PM Comfort Cotton Collective Wellness Event. Central Meeting Room
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Stitch Circle. Launch Pad MakerSpace
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Dungeons & Dragons. Collections Gallery Conference Room * (registrations fully booked)
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Open Memory Lab Hours. Grosvenor Room
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pint-sized Picassos. West Room
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Virtual Saturdays. Teen Space
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Teen Jewelry Making. Teen Space
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Special Collections Tour. Meet @ Grosvenor Room
Sunday, August 23 Library closed. Sunday hours resume September 13.
Exhibits & Displays: Open during regular Library hours.
AP Gorny: Different from the Rest. Rare Book Room
We the People: Commemorating 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence. Ring of Knowledge
Council of Heritage and Arts of India, Inc. Trailblazers Exhibit. Collections Gallery
Uncle Sam, Symbol of Patriotism. Buffalo Presidential Center, open Saturdays 10 AM - 4 PM only
Programs denoted with an asterisk (*) are for pre-registered participants only.
Entering the Library:
Everyone must go through a weapon detection system to enter the Library.
The Washington St. entrance is open during all Library hours. The Ellicott St. open hours are varied. The Clinton St. entrance is only open for Auditorium programs.
Your Buffalo & Erie County Public Library card means you can receive discounts across Erie County. Learn more about the VIP program here.
We want to hear from you.
The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library is exploring how future interior improvements @ the downtown Central Library can better meet the needs of Erie County residents.
Imagining Buffalo Niagara in the 21st Century, after 600 programs,
IMAGINE Buffalo ran its final program in February 2026.
The Library is thankful to program host and volunteer Dennis Galucki.
IMAGINE Buffalo was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History and Nature (C-SAAHN) in conjunction with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Click here for an archive of past Zoom programs dating back to 2020: Archive of past IMAGINE Buffalo zoom programs
Click here for a full archive of all recordings dating back to 2009