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.
Coming Up @ Central Library & Online: Feb 28 – Mar 8, 2026
Download This Week @ Central Schedule Here
Saturday, February 28 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Young Historians Huddle. Buffalo Presidential Center (registration full) *
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room (registration full)*
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Chinese Calligraphy Workshop. Grosvenor Room (registration full) *
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pint-sized Picassos. West Room
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Buffalo DSA New Member Orientation. Central Meeting Room
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
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Alemaedae Theater Presents The Break Room ($). Auditorium, enter @ Clinton St.
Sunday, March 1 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Buffalo Writers' Theater Presents a Reading of The Brown Bull of Cuailnge. Ring of Knowledge
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Intelli-Fun, Inc. Letter-Sleuth Learning Game. West Room
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Buffalo Writers' Theater Reception. Collections Gallery Conference Room
Monday, March 2 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Class Visit. Throughout Library *
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Spectrum Health Anger Management Program. West Room *
Tuesday, March 3 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Information Table: The Service Collaborative of WNY. Outside Children's Room
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 Cookbook Club. Central Meeting Room
4:30 PM - 5:50 PM ISUPK Class. Collections Gallery Conference Room
Wednesday, March 4 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Class Visit. Throughout Library *
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM "Spread the Word to End the R-Word" Event. Main Concourse, Ring of Knowledge
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: Battle of the Sexes (2017). Ring of Knowledge
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Teen Bingo Night. Teen Space
4:15 PM - 6:00 PM NYCLU Teen Activist Project. Collections Gallery Conference Room
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM Art Break. West Room
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Introduction to Oral History. Grosvenor Room
Thursday, March 5 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 - 2:00 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
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Spectrum Health Anger Management Program. West Room *
3:30 PM - 7:30 PM It Takes a Village Graduation Ceremony. Collections Gallery & Gallery Conf. Rm
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Free Kids Community Art Classes with Locust Street Art: Drawing and Painting. West Room
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Free Teen/Adult Community Art Classes: Drawing, Painting, & Ceramics. Central Meeting Room
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Public Meeting: BUDC - Temporary Intersection Improvements. Auditorium
Friday, March 6 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Class Visit. Throughout Library *
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Pathways Point Help Desk. Main Concourse
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM Teen Advisory Group. West Room
Saturday, March 7 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Literacy Buffalo Niagara Tutor Training. Collections Gallery Conference Room *
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Getting Started with Ancestry Library Edition. (online via Zoom) *
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Chess Clinic and Club. Central Meeting Room
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Explore Buffalo Lecture: "The History of Cereal in Buffalo." Ring of Knowledge
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Love is Loud, Inc. Luncheon. West Room
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Stitch Circle. Launch Pad MakerSpace
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Dungeons & Dragons. Collections Gallery Kids' Area (registration full) *
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pint-sized Picassos. Children's Room
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Introduction to Oral History. Grosvenor Room
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
Sunday, March 8 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM WNY Genealogical Society Collection Assistance. Grosvenor Room
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Intelli-Fun, Inc. Letter-Sleuth Learning Game. West Room
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
Buffalo African American Museum Display. Main Concourse
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.
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.
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.
Attend an online public engagement session on Wed., Nov 5 @ 7 p.m. via Zoom: https://bl.buffalolib.org/CEN-Zoom. To learn more visit: https://bl.buffalolib.org/CEN-Study
See the 2026 VIP pass here: https://www.buffalolib.org/library-cards/vip-very-important-pass-librar…
https://tinyurl.com/TBNCentral
Imagining Buffalo Niagara in the 21st Century , After 600 programs, the final IMAGINE Buffalo is on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom. See the link here: Calendar of programs.
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
Archive of past IMAGINE Buffalo zoom programs beginning in Fall 2020.
Full archive of all recordings dating back to 2009: https://archive.org/search?query=c-saahn&sort=-publicdate
Mason Winfield guest on the IMAGINE Buffalo program (audio) October 28, 2025 Mason Winfield guest on the IMAGINE Buffalo program (slides) October 28, 2025
Visit the Teens page for more information about middle school to high school age events and resources - www.BuffaloLib.org/Services/teens