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: September 26 - October 4, 2026
Saturday, September 26 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Doors Open Buffalo. Info Tables near Launch Pad, Library tours offered hourly
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Buffalo Humanities Festival. Throughout Library *
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room *
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pint-sized Picassos. Children's Room
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Virtual Saturdays. Teen Space
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Teen Jewelry Making. Teen Space
2:00 PM - 4:45 PM Buffalo Writers' Critique Group. West Room
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Peaceful Playtime. Children's Room
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Special Collections Tour. Grosvenor Room
4:15 PM - 5:30 PM Buffalo Humanities Festival: "The Front Line of the First Amendment." Auditorium *
Sunday, September 27 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Buffalo Fashion Week Model Boot Camp. Central Meeting Room
Monday, September 28 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Interactive Journaling Program Group Sessions. West Room *
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Information Table: Cassadaga Job Corps. Near Computers
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Movie Premiere: ABSURD. Auditorium
Tuesday, September 29 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM Homeschool History Hustle: The Empire State in the 19th Century. Buffalo Presidential Center
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 *
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
4:30 PM - 5:50 PM ISUPK Meeting. West Room
Wednesday, September 30 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
10:00 AM - 12:45 PM Class Visit. West Room & Collections Gallery Kids' Area *
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Information Table: United States Air Force Reserve. Near Computers
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pick-up. Children's 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
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Movie Matinee: Practical Magic (1998). Ring of Knowledge
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Michigan Avenue Streetscape Project Public Meeting. Central Meeting Room
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Finding Frederick Law Olmsted in Cotton's Kingdom Screening. Ring of Knowledge
Thursday, October 1 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 *
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Buffalo Music of Hall of Fame Business of Music Workshop. Ring of Knowledge
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Graphic Novel Book Club: Maus: A Survivor's Tale. Collections Gallery Conference Room
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Grosvenor Map Collection Tour. Meet @ Grosvenor Room
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Write Around Now. Central Meeting Room
Friday, October 2 Library open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closing to the public early.
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM ALSC 2026 National Institute. Throughout Library *
Saturday, October 3 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Literacy Buffalo Niagara Tutor Training. Central Meeting Room *
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Lecture: Presidential Peculiarities. Buffalo Presidential Center
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Dungeons & Dragons. Collections Gallery Conference Room
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pint-sized Picassos. Children's Room
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 Arabesques MENA Oral History Project Launch. Ring of Knowledge
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Introduction to Oral History. Grosvenor Room
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Teen Jewelry Making. Teen Space
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
Sunday, October 4 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Exhibits & Displays: Open during regular Library hours.
The Dr. Catherine Collins Victorian Tea Exhibition. 2nd floor Collections Gallery
Buffalo's Vitascope Theatre & Edisonia Hall Display. 2nd floor
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