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: April 18 - April 26, 2026
Download This Week @ Central Schedule Here
Saturday, April 18 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Craft & Create: Dried Flower Trinket Dishes. West Room*
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 - 4:00 PM Arabic Calligraphy & Vegetal Arts in Islam Workshop. Grosvenor Room* (registration full)
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Dungeons & Dragons. Collections Gallery Conference Room* (registration full)
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 - 3:30 PM "A Night on the Town: Harry Altman's Entertainment Empire." Ring of Knowledge
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
Sunday, April 19 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Intelli-Fun, Inc. Letter-Sleuth Learning Game. West Room
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Sunday Concert @ Central: Buffalo Jazz Collective. Ring of Knowledge
Monday, April 20 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Interactive Journaling Program Group Sessions. West Room*
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Erie County Dept. of Social Services: SNAP ABAWDS Training. Central Meeting Room
Tuesday, April 21 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Erie County Dept. of Social Services: SNAP ABAWDS Training. Central Meeting 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
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Amazing Women's Shelter, Inc. Clothing Giveaway. Ring of Knowledge
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Teen Crafting. Teen Space
4:30 PM - 5;50 PM ISUPK Meeting. Collections Gallery Conference Room
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM City of Buffalo Program: Breaking Down the Budget with Mayor Sean Ryan. Auditorium
Wednesday, April 22 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Creative Sensationz Solutionz Job Fair. West Room
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pick-up. Children's Room*
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Roots & Relax. (virtual)*
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: Thunderbolts* (2025). Ring of Knowledge
4:15 PM - 6:00 PM NYCLU Teen Activist Project. Central Meeting Room*
5:15 PM - 7:00 PM Buffalo Presidential Center Board Meeting. Collections Gallery Conference Room
Thursday, April 23 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Peer Connection Group. TechKnow Lab*
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Class Visit. Children's Room*
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM It Takes a Village Action Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room*
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Buffalo & Erie County Lead Safe Task Force Meeting. Central Meeting Room
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Walk-up Tech Help. Near Computers
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Decorate a Canvas Book Bag! Teen Space
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pick-up. Children's Room*
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Paging Through History: The Grosvenor Room Quiet Reading Club. Grosvenor Room
Friday, April 24 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9:15 AM - 11:30 AM Digitize NY Volunteer Gathering. Collections Gallery Conference Room
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Class Visit. Children's Room & West Room*
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo Walk-in Legal Clinic. Study Rooms
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Creative Sensationz Solutionz Job Fair. Central Meeting Room
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Pathways Point Help Desk. Main Concourse
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Tech Training: Internet Privacy and Safety. TechKnow Lab*
Saturday, April 25 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room* (registration full)
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Exploring the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili with Dr. James Russell. Ring of Knowledge
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM BTPM's Living Library & The Librarians Screening Event. Central Meeting 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 - 4:45 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: "The Last Rehearsal" Murder Mystery Experience ($). Auditorium
Sunday, April 26 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Intelli-Fun, Inc. Letter-Sleuth Learning Game. West Room
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Lavender Book Reviews. Ring of Knowledge
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
Lincoln’s Funeral Train. 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.
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