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: October 17-25, 2026
Saturday, October 17 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM Compeer Buffalo Mental Health First Aid Training. Central Meeting Room
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Craft & Create: Book Witches. West Room *
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Lecture: "American Prosecutor" with David Heraty. Buffalo Presidential Center
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3D Printer Certification Class. West Room *
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Book Talk: The Customer Service Specialist and Personal Driver. Ring of Knowledge
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM Information Table: Cooke Web & Marketing. Near Computers
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Dungeons & Dragons. Collections Gallery Conference Room * (registrations fully booked)
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Open Memory Lab Hours. Grosvenor 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 Kids' Costume Market. Ring of Knowledge
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Teen Jewelry Making. Teen Space
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Peaceful Playtime. West Room
Sunday, October 18 Library open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM WNY Cosplay Club: Wig Styling Basics. West Room
Monday, October 19 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Working Group Annual Meeting. Central Meeting Room
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Interactive Journaling Program Group Sessions. West Room *
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Erie County Dept. of Social Services Staff Meeting. Auditorium *
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
5:00 PM - 5:50 PM Spectrum Health and Human Services Meeting. Atrium Room
Tuesday, October 20 Library open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Working Group Annual Meeting. Central Meeting Room
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 *
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Tarot Tuesday. Grosvenor Room
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Erie County Dept. of Social Services Staff Meeting. Auditorium *
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
4:30 PM - 5:50 PM ISUPK Meeting. West Room
Wednesday, October 21 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Working Group Annual Meeting. Central Meeting Room
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Class Visit. West Room *
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Every Bottom Covered Diaper Pick-up. Children's Room *
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Tea Blend Workshop. Collections Gallery Conference Room *
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Beyond the Paywall: Free Genealogy Resources Every Researcher Should Know. Virtual *
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Walk-up Tech Help. Information Services Desk or Computer Desk
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM Global Ethics Day 2026. Ring of Knowledge
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Movie Matinee: My Sister's Keeper (2009). Ring of Knowledge
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Speculative Fiction Book Club. Collections Gallery Conference Room
Thursday, October 22 Library open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Working Group Annual Meeting. Central Meeting Room
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM It Takes a Village Action Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room *
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Revitalizing Main Street: A Discussion on Buffalo's Future ($). Auditorium
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM American Institute of Architects WNY Lunch. West Room *
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Walk-up Tech Help. Information Services Desk or Computer Desk
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
5:00 PM - 7:30 PM Rehearsal by Alemaedae Theater. Auditorium *
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Buffalo DSA Emergency Tenant Organizing Committee Meeting. Atrium Room
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Paging Through History: The Grosvenor Room Quiet Reading Club. Grosvenor Room
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM Buffalo Sewing Club. West Room
Friday, October 23 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Class Visit. Children's Room *
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo Walk-in Legal Clinic. Study Rooms
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Lecture: "AP Gorny and His BIG BOOK of Art Proofs!" Ring of Knowledge
3:00 PM - 4:50 PM Afternoon Teen Crafts. Teen Space
Saturday, October 24 Library open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Spooky Library Party. Throughout Library
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Lecture: "The Hauntings of Hinsdale House." Ring of Knowledge
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Virtual Saturdays. Teen Space
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Teen Jewelry Making. Teen Space
2:00 PM - 4:45 PM Buffalo Writers' Critique Group. Collections Gallery Conference Room
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Special Collections Tour. Meet at Grosvenor Room
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Alemaedae Theater presents "The Masquerade" Murder Mystery ($). Auditorium
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
McKinley Assassination Artifacts. 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