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 29 - September 7, 2026
Saturday, August 29 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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 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 30 Library closed. Sunday hours resume September 13.
Monday, August 31 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, September 1 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM It Takes a Village Action Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room *
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Teen Crafting. Teen Space
4:30 PM - 5:50 PM ISUPK Meeting. West Room
Wednesday, September 2 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 Walk-up Tech Help. Information Services Desk or Computer Desk
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Movie Matinee: 9 to 5 (1980). Ring of Knowledge
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Quarterly Book Swap - Speculative Fiction. Collections Gallery Conference Room
Thursday, September 3 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 *
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Walk-up Tech Help. Information Services Desk or Computer Desk
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pick-up. Children's Room *
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Information Table: Queen City Workers' Center. Near Computers
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Opening Reception: Buffalo's Vitascope Theatre & Edisonia Hall. Collections Gallery
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Graphic Novel Book Club. Collections Gallery Conference Room
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Grosvenor Map Collection Tour. Meet @ Grosvenor Room *
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM Buffalo Sewing Club. West Room
Friday, September 4 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM Teen Advisory Group (TAG) Meeting. West Room
Saturday, September 5 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Chess Clinic and Club. Central Meeting Room
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM The Teapot Legacy Walk: Take a Stroll Among the Teapots. Collections Gallery
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room *
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Dungeons & Dragons. Collections Gallery Conference Room * (registrations fully booked)
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM "AP Gorny: Different from the Rest" Curator's Tour. Meet @ Rare Book Room
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Virtual Saturdays. Teen Space
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Introduction to Oral History. Grosvenor Room
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Teen Jewelry Making. Teen Space
2:30 PM - 4:45 PM Street Crier Karaoke. Launch Pad MakerSpace
Sunday, September 6 Library closed. Sunday hours resume September 13.
Monday, September 7 Library closed in recognition of Labor Day.
Exhibits & Displays: Open during regular Library hours.
The Dr. Catherine Collins Victorian Tea Exhibition. 2nd floor Collections Gallery, opens September 1
Buffalo's Vitascope Theatre & Edisonia Hall Display. 2nd floor, opens September 3
AP Gorny: Different from the Rest. Rare Book Room
We the People: Commemorating 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence. Ring of Knowledge
Roosevelt and the Teddy Bear. 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