Library · Buffalo
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System
Buffalo’s library is the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System, a branch of Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, open about 61 hours a week.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024County system. Buffalo’s branch belongs to Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, which serves 954,236 people. The yearly numbers below are for the whole system, not just this branch. A card works at every branch.
Your branch
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System
1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo 14203
61 hrsopen a week
403,000sq ft
Fine-freeNo late fees on books returned late
E-books & audiobooksBorrow from home with your card
Auto-renews loansBooks renew on their own if no one’s waiting
Research databasesOnline courses, journals, genealogy and more
Fiscal year 2024
A year at Buffalo and Erie County Public Library
695K
visits
0.7 per resident
3.2M
loans, print + digital
3.4 per resident
2,060
programs & events
59K attended
116K
library cards
12% of people served
How it compares
Against libraries serving 100,000+ people
Per-resident numbers, compared only with libraries of a similar size across the country, because a tiny town’s library always looks busier per person.
Visits per resident
0.7 visits · typical 2.1
Lower than most similar-size libraries (6th percentile)
Borrowing per resident
1.1 print items · typical 3.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (9th percentile)
Digital borrowing
2.3 e-items · typical 1.4
Higher than 71% of similar-size libraries
Kids’ borrowing
0.2 kids’ items · typical 1.6
Lower than most similar-size libraries (4th percentile)
Program attendance
0.1 attendees · typical 0.2
Lower than most similar-size libraries (4th percentile)
Cardholders
12% of residents
Lower than most similar-size libraries (5th percentile)
Borrowing & programs
What people use it for
What people borrow
3.2M loans last year
Books & media (adults)25%Kids’ books & media6%E-books, audio & streaming69%
Who the programs are for
2,060 story times, classes, clubs and events
Money
Who pays for it
$34 per resident a year
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $33M.
Local 86%State 12%Gifts & other 3%
Locations
Other Buffalo and Erie County Public Library branches in Buffalo
About these numbers
How to read this page
Hours are an averageThe survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Compared by size“Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
One year, the library’s own countLibraries report their own visits, loans and programs for fiscal year 2024. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Distances are straight-line from the town center.