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: May 9 - May 17, 2026
Download This Week @ Central Schedule Here
Saturday, May 9 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Literacy Buffalo Niagara Tutor Training. Collections Gallery Conference Room*
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AP Gorny: Different from the Rest Curator's Tour. Meet @ Rare Book Room
12:00 PM - 2:15 PM Information Table: Queen City Workers' Center. Outside of Children's Room
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Explore Buffalo Lecture: "German Immigrants in Buffalo & WNY." Ring of Knowledge
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Love is Loud, Inc. Luncheon. West Room
1:00 PM - 3:15 PM Universal Anime Saturdays: Howl's Moving Castle (2004). Auditorium
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 Comfort Cotton Co. Monthly Craft Club. 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
Sunday, May 10 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, May 11 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Interactive Journaling Program Group Sessions. West Room*
Tuesday, May 12 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Class Visit. Children's Room*
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM It Takes a Village Action Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room*
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Library Foundation Meeting. Joseph B. Rounds Board Room
4:30 PM - 5:55 PM ISUPK Class. Collections Gallery Conference Room
Wednesday, May 13 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
10:15 AM - 12:15 PM Class Visit. Children's Room & West Room*
2:00 PM - 7:00 PM Catholic Health Maternal Health & Wellness Expo. Ring of Knowledge, Main Concourse, Collections Gallery, Gallery Conf. Rm & West Room
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM Buffalo Public Schools Art Show Reception. Collections Gallery
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM Rehearsal: ShahJaan's Healthcare. Auditorium*
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Citizens' Climate Lobby Meeting. Central Meeting Room
Thursday, May 14 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM New York State Dept. of Health Education Roadshow. Central Meeting Room
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM It Takes a Village Action Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room*
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Library Board of Trustees Executive Committee Meeting. Joseph B. Rounds Board Room
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pickup. Children's Room*
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM The Grant Lady Foundation Grant Writing Workshop. Central Meeting Room
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM ShahJaan's Healthcare Training and Services Phlebotomy Open House. Ring of Knowledge
Friday, May 15 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Bring Up Minimum Pay (BUMP) Campaign Listening Session and Briefing. Collections Gallery Conference Room*
Saturday, May 16 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Craft & Create: Painted Wine Glasses. West Room*
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM "Cemetery Crowdsourcing" Genealogy Program. Ring of Knowledge
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM No New Jail Campaign Participatory Budgeting Session. Central Meeting Room
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room*
12:00 PM - 2:15 PM Information Table: Queen City Workers' Center. Outside of Children's Room
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Dungeons & Dragons at the Library. Collections Gallery Conference Room*
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pint-sized Picassos. West Room
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Virtual Saturdays. Teen Space
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM ShahJaan's Healthcare Phlebotomy Graduation & Oath Ceremony. Auditorium
Sunday, May 17 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Piano Recital with Ana Vafai. Auditorium
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