The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library is located on Lafayette Square,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. The current facility, designed by Kideney Architects and built in 1964, replaced the original

Cyrus Eidlitz Cyrus Lazelle Warner Eidlitz (July 27, 1853 – October 5, 1921) was an American architect best known for designing One Times Square, the former New York Times Building on Times Square. He is founder of the architecture firm presently known as ...

Buffalo Public Library Building dedicated in February 1887. The first Buffalo Public Library, in turn, replaced the

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie w ...

courthouse, which occupied the parcel from 1816-1876. Founded ca. 1835 as the Young Men's Association (not to be confused with

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

), prominent members included

Samuel Langhorne Clemens Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has pr ...

, who was the editor of the '' Buffalo Express'' from 1869-1871. The Young Men's Association was a private subscription library, meaning that paid membership was required in order to borrow books. In 1883, the Association began a fund-raising campaign for a new building and held an architectural competition, which culminated in Eidlitz's 1887 design. Upon completion, the Association turned over its collections to the citizens of Buffalo and the Buffalo Public Library was born, with no requirement for dues or membership. Significant

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

collections include the original, hand-written

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's ''

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

'', which Twain donated to the library in 1885; and the Milestones of Science, a collection of first editions announcing major advancements in Western science.Walters, Daniel and Petty, Mary E. "The Milestones of Science Collection: The Public Library and the Conservation of Cultural Heritage." Libraries & Culture (1999), v. 34 no.3: 262-276

Institutional services

The Institutional Services Division provides library services in three Erie County institutions. Home Branch Library: Begun in 1956 with only a few books, this library at the Erie County Home has evolved dramatically. Users can now enjoy typical branch services as well as use the program room for coffee hour, old-time radio programs, read-alouds and travel club programs. Magnifying bars, book supports, tape-players, slides, slideviewers and electronic magnifiers are available for those needing special accommodations. Collections such as large print, video and audio cassettes create a warm place to find information or just sit and talk to a friend. For those unable to come to this library, room-to-room cart service to residents is provided. Correctional Facility Library: This library located within the Erie County Correctional Facility contains both a law library and a general public library. Constructed in 1986, this library was the first to be built as a core or focal point of a Correctional Facility. Its general collection contains over 8,000 books for inmates' educational and recreational purposes, and of the library is set aside to house a legal collection of over 4,000 volumes. Computers are available to inmates for their legal work. Holding Center Library: Begun in 1969 as cart service to cells, this library has grown to encompass a new facility with both a legal collection and a general library. Residents can borrow all types of materials from adventure fiction to religious non-fiction and use a large legal collection while awaiting trial.

Special collections

The Center for Afro-American History and Research: The Center for Afro-American History and Research is the largest resource center in Western New York for information on African-American history and is located at Frank E. Merriweather Jr. Library. The reference collection includes books, microfilm and pictures with its emphasis on primary source material related to African-American history in Western New York. The "Buffalo Afro-American Collection" is a microfilmed collection, which contains the records of many local organizations as well as the personal papers of community leaders. Records include Urban League, BUILD papers, Bethel A.M.E. Church, First Shiloh, Raphael DuBard's papers and more. Collection for Persons with Disabilities: For individuals with visual impairments, Niagara Frontier Radio reading service receivers, talking books, print-braille books for children, DVDs with descriptive narration and large print books are available. A Stand Alone Reading Appliance (SARA)reader, PC workstation with ZoomText Reader 10 software, NVDA screenreader software and table top magnifier are available for public use. For individuals with hearing impairment, a Sorenson Videophone SVR is available for use by ASL communicators. Assisive listening devices are available for use in the Damon O. Mason Auditorium and at the Ring of Knowledge located on the first floor. Grosvenor Room: Genealogy, Music, Rare Books: '' ronounced GROVE-ner' This department of Central Library, opened in 1994 as the Special Collections Department, brings together the library's extensive genealogy and local history materials. The Grosvenor Room includes family histories; general and ethnic genealogical research manuals; vital records indexes; passenger lists indexes; church and cemetery records; surname dictionaries; local histories; military rosters; heraldry and family crest dictionaries; and directories of all kinds. In 1995, the Department became the home of the collection of the Western New York Genealogical Society, the region's oldest and largest genealogy organization. Materials from most Grosvenor Room collections are for in-library use only and cannot be borrowed. Mark Twain Room: This special exhibition room at the Central Library is the home of Twain's original handwritten manuscript, ''

''. Twain was a briefly a member of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library's predecessor, the Young Men's Association, and donated the manuscript of what is considered by many to be the greatest American novel. In 1885, Twain sent the second half of ''Huckleberry Finn'', believing the first half had been lost by a printer. In 1991, the missing portion of the manuscript turned up in a small steamer trunk in a Los Angeles attic. It was among the possessions of descendants of James Fraser Gluck, a curator of the Buffalo Library who had requested the manuscript from Twain a century earlier. Eventually, Twain mailed the missing half of the manuscript to Gluck, but Gluck, who apparently took it to have it bound, died with it among his belongings in 1897. After gaining possession, the B&ECPL united the manuscript in 1992 for the first time in over a century. This priceless literary masterpiece is showcased in the heart of the Twain room. The Mark Twain Room also houses an antique walnut mantel from the now-demolished Delaware Avenue home where Mark Twain lived during his short newspaper career in Buffalo. A framed oil portrait of Twain hangs prominently above this scrupulously restored hardwood mantel. Norman Rockwell prints from a 1940 edition of ''Huckleberry Finn'' enhance the walls on either side. Two bookcases feature hundreds of Twain publications, including many first editions and many in foreign languages. The Mark Twain Room is open during normal Central Library hours of operation.

Area branch libraries

* Alden (Ewell) Free Library -

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* Angola Public Library -

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* Amherst Main Library at Audubon -

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* Aurora Town Public Library -

East Aurora East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. It lies in the eastern half of the town of Aurora. The village population was 5,998 per the 2020 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Met ...

* Boston Free Library -

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

* Central Library - Buffalo * Clarence Public Library -

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* Amherst Public Library, Clearfield Branch - Williamsville * Collins Public Library -

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

* Concord Public Library - Springville * Crane Branch Library - Buffalo * Dudley Branch Library - Buffalo * East Clinton Branch Library - Buffalo * Leroy R. Coles, Jr. Branch Library - Buffalo * Eden Library - Eden * Amherst Public Library, Eggertsville-Snyder Branch - Snyder * Elaine M. Panty Branch Library - Buffalo * Elma Public Library - Elma * Grand Island Memorial Library - Grand Island * Hamburg Public Library, Hamburg Branch -

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* Isaías González-Soto Branch Library - Buffalo *

Town of Tonawanda Tonawanda (formally the Town of Tonawanda) is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 72,636. The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern inner ring suburb of B ...

Public Library, Kenilworth Branch - Buffalo * Town of Tonawanda Public Library, Kenmore Branch - Kenmore * Lackawanna Public Library - Lackawanna * Hamburg Public Library, Lake Shore Branch - Hamburg * Lancaster Public Library - Lancaster * Marilla Free Library - Marilla * Frank E. Merriweather, Jr. Library - Buffalo * Newstead Public Library -

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

* North Collins Library - North Collins * North Park Branch Library - Buffalo * Orchard Park Public Library - Orchard Park * Cheektowaga Public Library, Anna M. Reinstein Memorial Branch -

Cheektowaga Cheektowaga () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town has grown to a population of 89,877. The town is in the north-central part of the county, and is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. The town is the ...

* Cheektowaga Public Library, Julia Boyer Reinstein Branch - Cheektowaga * City of Tonawanda Public Library -

City of Tonawanda Tonawanda (formally ''City of Tonawanda'') is a city in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,130 at the 2010 census. It is at the northern edge of Erie County, south across the Erie Canal (Tonawanda Creek) from North Ton ...

* West Seneca Public Library -

West Seneca West Seneca is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 44,711 at the 2010 census. West Seneca is a centrally located interior town of the county, and a suburb of Buffalo. West Seneca, Orchard Park and Hamburg form the ...

*Amherst Public Library, Williamsville Branch - Williamsville

Notes

External links

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Buildings and structures in Buffalo, New York Tourist attractions in Buffalo, New York County library systems in New York (state) Federal depository libraries 1835 establishments in New York (state)