Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

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Central Library

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About the Library

Improving Access to the downtown Central Library
Please be aware that the downtown Central Library's ELLICOTT STREET public entrance will be closed beginning the week of August 23 through November, 2010 so that necessary accessibility improvements benefitting all patrons can be made. The Library's main entrance on Washington Street and the Auditorium entrance (on Clinton Street near Ellicott Street) will be open. These improvements are made possible through a New York State Library Construction grant. Thank you for your patience and cooperation!

Free Music Downloads!
Hundreds of thousands of songs from SONY Music Entertainment are at your fingertips! New selections are added each week. Download to an iPod, MP3 player, PC or a Mac. Using your library card and PIN, you may select three downloads each week.

This new library service is brought to you through Freegal Music. It's FREE and it's legal! Click here to for more information and to download.

Author Talk/Book Signing
Continuing the Library's celebration of "The Year of Twain" and 125 years of our treasured manuscript "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," join us on Saturday, September 25 at 2 p.m. to hear renowned Twain scholar Robert Hirst, curator of the Twain papers at UC-Berkeley and an editor on the soon-to-be-published Twain autobiography. FREE at the downtown Central Library, with program followed by book sale and signing.

Used Book Sale!

The downtown Central Library is having a massive Used Book Sale at Novel Ideas on Thursday September 9 from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. Hundreds of titles $.25 and up -- fiction, kids books, technical books, history, travel, VHS tapes, and lots more!

12th Annual Battle of the Books! Congratulations to the City of Tonawanda Team 1 on their third consecutive win at the Battle of the Books on Saturday, August 7th. Special recognition also goes to the Orchard Park Team 2 who placed second. More than 500 people attended the largest Battle on record, with 44 teams competing in five rounds. Special thanks go out to the volunteers who donated their summer morning to make this a huge System wide event a success.

Click here for Channel 7 news coverage. Click here for more photos.

Welcome Ira Flatow!
Join us on Saturday, September 11 at 2pm as we welcome Ira Flatow, award-winning science journalist and host of NPR's "Science Friday," to the Central Library. His topic will be the uniquely human trait, Creativity. FREE! Copies of his books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Talking Leaves Books.

Click here to visit Bright Spots Main Page

A WNY family is embarking on a "Reading Road Trip" with the goal of visiting all 37 libraries in the B&ECPL System! At each stop they will have their log book signed and dated, take a photo, and check out a book or two. These "one-tank getaways" will highlight unique features of each library and other nearby attractions. The road trip that reminds residents of the importance of public libraries began a few weeks ago. Follow their progress.

Read Down Your Fines!

This summer program gives children and teens (age 16 and under) an opportunity to use reading as a way to reduce library fines and fees.

Click here for complete details.

SUMMER READING GROWS UP!
The B&ECPL is holding its first ever Summer Reading Contest for adults ages 18 and up. Participants are asked to write brief book reviews, each of which counts as an entry in a prize drawing.

You could be the lucky winner of one of many PRIZES including a Nook EReader!

Enter here to find your local library and click on Summer Reading for Contest Guidelines.

In the Garden: The Art of Botanical Illustration!
Gardeners and garden lovers unite! New exhibition 6/1 - 9/26 featuring botanical illustrations through the centuries from the Library's Rare Books Collection.

The Library is blooming in celebration of the National Buffalo Garden Festival (6/18-7/25)-- click here for programs and further information.