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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

Central Library will be closed on 
Friday, April 3 & Sunday, April 5 for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

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.

 

Coming Up @ Central Library & Online: Mar 28 - April 5, 2026

Download This Week @ Central Schedule Here
 

Saturday, March 28                    Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

9:00 AM - 1:00 PM                       Literacy Buffalo Niagara Tutor Training. Collections Gallery Conference Room*

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM                 Children's Egg Hunt - Presented by Teen Advisory Group. Children's Room

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM                    3D Printer Certification Class. West Room*

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM                        Pint-sized Picassos. West Room

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM                        Virtual Reality Saturdays. Teen Space

2:00 PM - 4:30 PM                        Sneakvibing Media Presents: The Ladies First Project Film Screening. Auditorium

2:00 PM - 4:45 PM                        Buffalo Writers' Critique Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM                        Peaceful Playtime. West Room

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM                        Special Collections Tour. Meet @ Grosvenor Room

                                

                                

Sunday, March 29                        Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM                        "Feathered Tourists of Tifft Nature Preserve." Ring of Knowledge

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM                        Tifft Nature Preserve Family Activity. Children's Room

                                

                                

Monday, March 30                      Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

10:00 AM - 5:50 PM                    Creative Sensationz Solutionz Hiring Event. Central Meeting Room

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM                    Information Table: Cassadaga Job Corps. Near Computers

                                

                                

Tuesday, March 31                      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*

4:30 PM - 5:50 PM                        ISUPK Class. Collections Gallery Conference Room

5:00 PM - 5:50 PM                        City of Buffalo Public Hearing: 2026-2027 Action Plan. Central Meeting Room

                                

Wednesday, April 1                    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 - 1:30 PM                     Cookbook Club. Central Meeting Room

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM                        Pathways Point Help Desk. Main Concourse

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM                        Walk-up Tech Help. Near Computers

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM                        Movie Matinee: He Named Me Malala (2015). Ring of Knowledge

4:15 PM - 6:00 PM                        NYCLU Teen Activist Project. Collections Gallery Conference Room*

5:30 PM - 7:55 PM                        Tenant Rights Clinic. Auditorium

                                                                

Thursday, April 2                          Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM                   Free Tax Assistance - Morning Session. TechKnow Lab*

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM                 Class Visit. Throughout Library*

10:30 AM - 1:00 PM                    It Takes a Village Action Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room*

1:15 PM - 2:30 PM                       Free Tax Assistance - Afternoon Session. TechKnow Lab*

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM                        Walk-up Tech Help. Near Computers

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM                       Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pick-up. Children's Room*

                                

Friday, April 3                 Library closed. Visit us 24/7 at www.BuffaloLib.org.

                                

Saturday, April 4                           Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM                    Chess Clinic and Club. Central Meeting Room

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM                        Love is Loud, Inc. Luncheon. West Room

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM                        Pint-sized Picassos. Children's Room 

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM                        Virtual Reality Saturdays. Teen Space

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM                       Genealogy Training: Build Your Own Archive. Grosvenor Room* (registration fully booked)

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM                        Peaceful Playtime. West Room

                                

Sunday, April 5                              Library closed. Visit us 24/7 at www.BuffaloLib.org.

                                

Exhibits & Displays: Open during regular Library hours.

AP Gorny: Different from the Rest. Rare Book Room                                       

Buffalo & the Erie Canal: An Enduring Legacy. Ring of Knowledge

C-SPAN Presidential Portraits. Buffalo Presidential Center, only open Saturdays 10 AM - 4 PM 

       

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.

                

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.

 

2026 VIP Pass 

 

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. 

Central Library Space Utilization Study

photo of Central Library 1964

 

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

 

Tween/Teen Programs

Visit the Teens page for more information about middle school to high school age events and resources -  www.BuffaloLib.org/Services/teens