Central (downtown Buffalo)
Welcome to the downtown Central Library!
Central Library 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: November 29 - December 7
1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY 14203
716-858-8900 | www.BuffaloLib.org
Saturday, November 29 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Central Library Tour. Meet @ Café
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room *
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Pint-sized Picassos. Children's Room
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Stitch Circle. Launch Pad MakerSpace
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Saturday Jewelry Making. Teen Space
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM VR @ the Library. Launch Pad MakerSpace
Sunday, November 30 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, December 1 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Class Visit. West Room *
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Information Table: Cassadaga Job Corps. Near Computers
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Information Table: Project Mona's House. Near Computers
Tuesday, December 2 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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 *
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Pathways Point Help Desk. Information Desk (near café)
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM Virtual IMAGINE Bflo Series: Shaun Wilson. BL.BuffaloLib.org/IMAGINEBuffalo
Wednesday, December 3 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM UB Science Café & Resource Fair: Pathways to Stability: Meeting Needs and Reducing Legal System Contact. Ring of Knowledge & Main Concourse
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Cookbook Club. Central Meeting Room
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Walk-up Tech Help. Near Computers
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Tech Training: Libby — eBooks, Audiobooks, and Digital Magazines. TechKnow Lab *
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Creative Sensationz Hiring Event. West Room
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Movie Matinee: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Ring of Knowledge
4:15 PM - 6:00 PM NYCLU Teen Activist Project. Collections Gallery Conference Room
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Lecture: You Should Have Seen Us Howling: When Buffalo Ruled the Inland Seas. Ring of Knowledge
Thursday, December 4 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 *
12:30 PM - 4:00 PM Erie County Dept. of Social Services Staff Meeting. Central Meeting Room
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Walk-up Tech Help. Near Computers
Friday, December 5 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Retirement Ceremony. Auditorium
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Class Visit. Central Meeting Room & Children's Room *
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Pathways Point Help Desk. Information Desk (near café)
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Afternoon Art Break. West Room
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Teen Wellness Bingo. Teen Space
Saturday, December 6 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room *
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Love is Loud, Inc. Lunch with Friends. Collections Gallery Conference Room
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Pint-sized Picassos. Children's Room
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Stitch Circle. Launch Pad MakerSpace
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Universal Anime Saturday: Porco Rosso (1992). Auditorium
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM VR @ the Library. Launch Pad MakerSpace
Sunday, December 7 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Exhibits & Displays: Open during regular Library hours.
Buffalo & the Erie Canal: An Enduring Legacy. Ring of Knowledge
What Does It All Mean? Exploring the Dictionary. Rare Book Room
Presidential Stamps. Bflo Pres. Ctr, 2nd floor. Open Sat., 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.
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 brochure here:
https://tinyurl.com/TBNCentral
Imagining Buffalo Niagara in the 21st Century
A lecture/discussion series held every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.
This program runs virtually on Zoom.
Calendar of programs.
Discussions are hosted by program founder Dennis Galucki. Call the Library for details about the speaker schedule, which is subject to change. 716-858-8900.
IMAGINE Buffalo is 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.
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