Clarence Public Library

Clarence Public Library
Library Info

Three Town Place
Clarence, NY 14031
United States

716-741-2650
Fax: 716-741-1243
Monica Mooney, Director

The library is located on Old Goodrich and is next to the Clarence Town Hall. Wheelchair accessible. Parking lot available. Drop box available.

Public Access Computers: 19 computers, networked.  Microsoft Office applications and Internet access.  Printing (including Mobile Printing) from computer: B&W 10¢ per page, color 25¢ per page.  "What can I do at a Public Access Computer?"

Copy machine available: B&W 15¢ per page for letter size.

Fax Machine for outgoing faxes:  The first page is $1.75 and each additional page is $1.00.  A Credit/Debit card may be used or a Fax Card can be purchased.

A Meeting Room is available as a location for community informational services and for programs or meetings of established and recognized groups and associations whose purposes are educational, cultural, civic, or of general community interest.

Assistive technology for the visually impaired:

  • Pebble HD Hand-Held Magnifier is available for use in the library. This item was purchased with funds donated by the Lion's Club of Clarence.
  • Digital Talking Book Players from the New York State Talking Book & Braille Library are available for in-house use by eligible patrons.

What's Special About the Clarence Library:

The library opened at its current location in September 2001 and is one of the largest community libraries in the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System.

Clarence Children's Reading Garden - Ladybug Storytime-photo for web site

Clarence Public Library Children's Reading Garden:

Dedicated in 2017 and made possible by a grant and donations from organizations as well as members of the community, the unique landscape of the Children’s Reading Garden provides a place for children to develop a lifelong interest and passion for nature.  The garden was developed to provide children with a sensory space—one that is designed to immerse them in the scents, textures and colors of a variety of plants, flowers, and herbs.  Related elements such as wind chimes, gazing balls, bird feeders and a fairy garden also add to this experience.  The Children’s Reading Garden now includes a pollinator garden to attract bees and butterflies and a recently added “Stumpery Garden” that provides a living space for mosses, ferns, mushrooms and other shade-loving forest plants.  These plants have the additional benefit of encouraging and hosting biodiversity while also providing a tranquil atmospheric garden area.  The Children’s Reading is the ideal location for a variety of children’s programs on nature and gardening. The garden is maintained by library staff and volunteers, including members from the Garden Friends of Clarence.  
 

Also of note:

A large Classic Movie collection featuring films from the silent era through the 1960s
A monthly Senior Activity Day at the Clarence Library in partnership with the Clarence Senior Center
The Clarence Bee Newspaper: Bound volumes (1965-1982) and microfilm (1983-2014)

Flight 3407 Memorial - Designed by Hadley Exhibits and dedicated in October 2017, this informational touch-screen kiosk provides biographies of the loved ones lost in the tragic crash of Flight 3407 that took place in Clarence Center on February 12,  2009 and provides a history of all facets of the tragedy including a tribute to first responders and to the work of family members who have campaigned tirelessly in Washington D.C. to ensure adequate pilot training and have helped bring about improved airline safety and pilot training regulations.

Some Ways to Support the Clarence Library:

The Friends Place Book Store, operated by the Friends of the Clarence Public Library, Inc., is a great place to shop for quality used and donated books and materials.  Proceeds support the programs and services of the Clarence Public Library.

Fowler's Candy Bars are on sale for $2 per bar.

Become a member of the Friends of the Clarence Public Library.

Friends of the Clarence Public Library, Inc.

The Friends of the Clarence Public Library is a non-profit group of citizens who believe that an excellent library is essential to a community.  They work to promote and assist the library and are responsible for raising money to add to the basic collection and provide for special needs.

The Friends of the Clarence Public Library generally meets at the library on the fourth Monday of the month at 6:00 pm.

"The Friends Place" book store, located off the lobby, is a great place to shop for used and donated books and other material.  The book store is scheduled to be open during regular library hours but is staffed entirely by volunteers.  If you're available to help out, please consider filling out an application (pdf) and volunteering your time.

Clarence Public Library Policies

System-Wide Policies

The Clarence Public Library is a member of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System.

  • Programs and Services of the Clarence Public Library

    Check out our Seed Library!

     

    Seed Library Brochure(pdf)

    Our seed library offers a wide variety of free seeds to our community. We provide a variety of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. Families are allowed up to four packets per year.  Seeds have been donated by patrons and seed companies.  Seeds can be donated by completing a donation form and submitting them with the seeds to the circulation desk. 

    Special thanks to the Garden Friends of Clarence for its support of this project.

     

    Seed Library

     

     

     

    May Programming (PDF)

    Adult Programs

    Chat About That

    • Day/Time: Mondays (May 19, 26) at 12:00 PM.

    • Description: Free English conversation practice for learners.

    Gentle Yoga for Seniors (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Thursdays at 2:00 PM

      • May 8: Balance

      • May 15: Flexibility

      • May 29: Strength

      • June 5: Well-Being

    • Registration Opens: April 21

    The Rise of Buffalo (1825–1865) (PDF)

    • Date: Tuesday, May 29

    • Time: 7:00 PM

    • Presenter: Jon Fagant

    • Description: Explore Buffalo’s early commerce, immigration, and Civil War era.

    • Registration Opens: May 15

    Summer 2025 Programming

    Summer Reading Kick-Off

    Summer Reading Program that features badges! Reading logs will be available! Earn badges for completing fun activities and challenges. Join us Saturday, June 28 at 2:00 PM with an Outdoor Foam Party!

    Early Childhood Programs (PDF)

    TaleCraft for Tots

    • Day/Time: Tuesdays at 11:00 AM
    • Ages: 3-6 years and their caregivers
    • Description: Explore stories and activities to encourage a love of reading. Includes singing, reading, talking, and crafting.
    • June Dates: 3,17, and 24.
    • July Dates: 8,15 and 22.
    • August Dates: 5
    • June Registration: May 20
    • July-August Registration: June 24.

    Read & Play

    • Day/Time: Wednesdays at 11:00 AM
    • Ages: Best for walkers, toddlers, and preschool-age children with caregivers
    • Description: Enjoy a story and song followed by open play.
    • June Dates: 4, 18, and 25.
    • July Dates: 2, 9,16, 23, 30.
    • August Dates: 6
    • June Registration: May 21
    • July-August Registration: June 25
    • The July 16th is a special storytime at Greg’s U-pick farm.

    Children’s Programs

    LEGO Club

    • Ages: 5-12
    • Day/Time: Wednesdays, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    • Description: Freeform building with creations displayed in the library. Registration required.
    • June Dates: 18
    • July Dates: 7, 14, 21 and 28. 
    • Registration Begins: July 23.

    Kidding Around Yoga

    • Ages: 3-6
    • Days/Times: June 10. 1:00-1:30 PM
    • Description: Yoga classes with fun, music, and mindfulness activities. Taught by certified KAY teacher Donna Baia.
    • Note: Parent/caregiver must remain with children aged 4-5. Bring a towel or mat.
    • Registration Begins: May 28.

    Kidding Around Yoga: Summer Sessions

    • Ages: 4-10
    • Description: Yoga classes with fun, music, and mindfulness activities. Taught by certified KAY teacher Donna Baia.
    • Note: Parent/caregiver must remain with children aged 4-5. Bring a towel or mat.
    • July Dates: 2 (2:30-3:00 PM), 21 (2:30-3:30 PM)
    • August Dates: 4 (11:00-11:45AM), 25 (11:00-11:45AM)
    • Registration Begins: June 18, July 7, July 21, August 11

     

    Intergenerational Programs

    Makery: Summer Craft Cafe (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Wednesday at 2:00 PM
    • Description: A maker-focused program with a new project each session. For those 6 and up.
    • June Dates: 11 (4:30 PM)
    • July Dates: 10, 17, 24, 31
    • August Dates: 7, 14
    • Registration Begins: May 28 for June. June 26 for the July and August dates.

    Hooked on Crochet

    • Date/Time: Saturday, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
    • Description: Learn to crochet, read patterns, or crochet with company. Beginners and experienced crocheters welcome.
    • June Dates: 21
    • July Dates: 26
    • August Dates: 23
    • Registration Begins: The date of the previous program.

    Train Day (PDF)

    • Time: Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
    • Description: Interactive train layouts in operation. Featuring a guest speaker from the Model Railroad Club of Buffalo.
    • Registration begins: May 24.

    Our Fox Rocks (PDF)

    • Description: All Ages Storytime with Local Author Amber Partisano who will read her book Our Fox Rocks (craft and book signing to follow.)
    • Date/Time: Friday, August 1, 2025 11:00 AM-12:00 PM.

    Middle Grade-Teen Programs

    Easel Does It with Snacks! For Ages 10-17 (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Wednesday, July 9, at 4:00 PM
    • Description: Join Kim Strell as she guides complete beginners in creating their masterpiece
    • Registration Begins: June 25.

    Happy Little Painting Camp (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Wednesday, July 16, 23, and 30 at 4:00 PM.
    • Description: Join the Happy Little Painting camp, where you can follow along with episodes of Bob Ross’s "The Joy of Painting" in a welcoming environment.
    • Registration: July 2.

    Middle Grade Book Camp (PDF)

    • Time: Thursday, 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM.
    • Description: We will read 5 books with weekly gatherings filled with book banter, artsy escapades, trivia, and snacks.
    • Dates: June 26, July 10, 17, 31. August 7.
    • Registration: June 12

    TeenLit Boxes (PDF)

    Date/Time: Sign up online from June 1 until June 15.  Pick up the box the first week of July.

    Description: Find your next three books. Please fill out the form telling us what you like. Visit us to pick up your box at the beginning of July. Bring back the books when you are finished. Enjoy the goodies and favors, you can keep.

    Summer Family Fun

    Mike Seege Magic Show (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Monday, July 7, 2025 at 6:30 PM
    • Description: Family magic show.
    • Presenter: Mike Seege
    • Registration Begins: June 23.

    Super Amy (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 6:30 PM
    • Description:  variety show features magic, music, and aerobic feats of strength for a high-energy.
    • Presenter: Super Amy
    • Registration Begins: June 26.

    Benjamin Berry’s Circus for All Workshop (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 6:30 PM
    • Description:  In this catch-all program, Benjamin will share his expertise of prop-based circus arts in an equally entertaining and educational presentation. Participants will learn various skills.
    •  Presenter: Benjamin Berry
    • Registration Begins: July 1.

    Omnipresent Puppet Theater: Hansel and Gretel (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at 6:30 PM
    • Description:  The family business is in a slump, and Hansel and Gretel must forage for fruits for dinner. Lost deep in the woods, they discover a wonderful gingerbread house occupied by a joyfully “evil” witch aided by her skunk named Bearnaise. Can their parents find them before it’s too late? A funny and charming tale for all ages!
    • Presenter: Omnipresent Puppet Theater
    • Registration Begins: July 15.

    World Safari (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Friday, August 15, 2025, at 6:30 PM.
    • Description: Discover birds, mammals, reptiles, and more through live animals and bio facts.
    • Presenter: Buffalo Zoo
    • Registration Begins: August 1.

    Adult Programs

    Chat About That

    • Day/Time: Mondays at noon.
    • Description: Free English conversation group for learners looking to improve their skills.
    • June Dates: 9,16, 23, 30

    Study in Sherlock

    • Day/Time: Monday, June 2, at 6:30 PM
    • Description: Discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes universe. 
    • June Dates: Monday, June 2, at 6:30 PM.
    • Registration Begins: May 20.

    Life After Power (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Thursday, June 5 at 7:00 pm
    • Description: Buffalo Presidential Center Trustee and Historian, Bren T. Price, Sr. will review "Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House" by Jared Cohen.
    • Registration Begins: May 22.

    Pollinators and Native Plants (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Thursday, June 12, 2025, at 6:30 PM. 
    • Description: Pollinators and Native Plants are two of the most popular gardening topics of the day.  There is a tremendous synergy between the two topics.  If you want to learn more, come to this presentation! Pollinators: what and who they are and, what is a true Native Western New York plant.
    • Presenter: Paula Malesa
    • Registration Begins: May 28.

    History of Buffalo series: The Queen City (1865-1901) (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Tuesday, July 8 at 7:00 PM
    • Description: The final installment in this series will focus on the Olmsted Parks, the rise of downtown Buffalo, electric power and the Pan-American Exposition of 1901.
    • Registration Begins: June 25.

    The Genius of Frank Lloyd Wright (PDF)

    • Day/Time: Friday, June 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM
    • Description: Timothy Totten has been speaking at museums, libraries, historical societies, Frank Lloyd Wright homes and buildings, other significant buildings, private homes, clubs, and private events, as a keynote or regular speaker. His stories are engaging and interesting!
    • Registration Begins: June 6.

    Meet Author Alan Wishnoff

    • Day/Time: Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 12:00 PM
    • Description: New York State’s new "holotrial program" revolutionizes trials by condensing proceedings into pre-recorded holograms, eliminating delays. Adam Simons, a traditional Buffalo lawyer, despises the system but takes on a holotrial after a hydrogen-car explosion kills a child—defying experts, his own rules, and powerful enemies. Amid personal entanglements and hidden conspiracies, he uncovers shocking truths that unravel until the novel’s final line. Holotrial is a gripping legal thriller.

    Parent Network of Western New York: Kindergarten Readiness

    Dates/Times: Thursday, July 17, 24, 31 and August 7, 21 at 5:00 PM.

    Description: Is your child starting Kindergarten in the Fall? Then these workshops are for you! If you want to be put on a waiting list for the first date, please email info@parentnetworkwny.org.

    Registration: https://parentnetworkwny.org/events/kindergartenreadiness/
     

    Alzheimer's Association Programs

    Dates/Times: 

    July 14, 2025, at 2:00 PM Know the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s

    August 4, 2025, at 2:00 PM Responding to Dementia: Related Behaviors

    August 25, 2025, at 2:00 PM Exploring Care: A Support Series

     

     

     

    Borrow from our Library of Things


    Click on the image below for a PDF of the brochure. (Links to the catalog are inside the PDF.)

    Explore our Library of Things — a collection of unique, non-traditional items available for borrowing at Clarence Public Library. From tools to tech, we offer something unexpected for every interest

    How It Works

    ✅ Borrowing Limits: Check out up to 3 kits at a time.
    ✅ Renewals: Each kit can be renewed once (if no holds are pending).
    ✅ Guidelines: Review the full Library of Things Circulation Guidelines and Agreement

     Need help? Contact us: 📞 716-741-2650 


    What is Citizen Science?

    People just like you are contributing to real scientific research! By collecting data, taking photos of clouds or streams, documenting changes in nature, using smartphone sensors to monitor water and air quality, or even playing games to advance health research, you can help scientists make discoveries.

    Citizen Science Kits

    Jumpstart your journey with these fun and impactful projects:

    1. Observing Pollinators 🐝
      Help track bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to protect ecosystems.

    2. Mapping Mosquito Habitats 
      Identify and report mosquito breeding sites to prevent disease spread.

    3. Monitoring Air Quality 🌫️
      Use sensors to measure pollution levels in your community.

    4. Measuring Light at Night 🌃
      Track light pollution and its effects on wildlife and human health.

    5. Exploring Biodiversity 🌿
      Document plant and animal species in your area to support conservation.

    6. Zombee Hunting 🐝
      Help scientists study zombie flies that parasitize honeybees!

    MEMORY/REMINISCE KITS

    Made possible by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo: Daniel C. and Beatrice M. Fisher Fund

    These kits are designed to support caregivers of individuals experiencing cognitive memory impairment, providing engaging and therapeutic interaction.

    How It Works

    • Each Busy Bottle contains sensory items like rice, beads, and buttons.

    • Two laminated cards are included, featuring reminiscence questions and conversation starters.

    • Use the provided dry-erase marker to check off discovered items.

    Safety Note

    ⚠️ Adult use only – Not suitable for children.

    Favorite Things Reminisce - sets include themed photo cards, activity cards and DVD

    Activity Kits:

    Sheridan Hill Elementary Summer 2024

     Kindergarten(pdf)

    First Grade(pdf)

    Second Grade(pdf)

    Third Grade(pdf)

    Fourth Grade(pdf)

    Fifth Grade(pdf)

    Clarence School Reading Lists (Summer 2023)

    Clarence Center Elementary

    Kindergarten(pdf)

    First Grade(pdf)

    Second Grade(pdf)

    Third Grade(pdf)

    Fourth Grade(pdf)

    Fifth Grade(pdf)

    Donation Policy

    Book Donations