Central Library SUMMER hours 2023 — Mondays/Wednesdays 9am-8:30pm; Tuesdays/Fridays 9am-6pm; Thursdays 11am-6pm; Saturdays, 10am-5pm (through June). *CLOSED* Saturdays in July/August and *CLOSED* Sundays.

FFRPL, Central Library, and all branches will be *CLOSED* for Juneteenth (Monday, June 19) and Independence Day (Tuesday, July 4).

FFRPL is the 501(c)(3) charity that raises funds, presents programs, supports special projects, helps create specialized spaces, and purchases supplemental materials & equipment for the Rochester Public Library.

Special Projects

Central Safe to Be Smart – Link Art Project planning with local artist Chloe Smith 2019 (left); STBS Founding Director Derrick Coley with completed mural 2019 (center); Graduation (right)

Safe to be Smart

One of FFRPL’s long-term special projects is the Library’s flagship after school program Safe to be Smart, housed at Central Library downtown and five City library branches. FFRPL is proud to be a founding sponsor, with Central Library and the City of Rochester, of Safe to be Smart; since 2001, we have given more than $100,000 annually to the program. Safe to be Smart students receive mentoring, educational support and career exploration help, and are able to access Library resources including books and wi-fi. They also go on special field trips throughout the year.

Learn more here

Raising a Reader

FFRPL also supports the Raising a Reader program at Central Library; RPL is a Raising a Reader affiliate. Raising a Reader strives to instill a love of reading in children and involve families directly in literacy activities. The program trains parents in how to develop the habit of sharing books with their children. High quality books are rotated into the home on a weekly basis for families to practice regular book sharing. Families are connected to the local library in order to sustain book borrowing and book sharing practices. As of February 2023, Central Library has 755 Raising a Reader families participating in the program.

Learn more here

Understanding Black Experiences

In 2020, when challenging events gripped the nation and ushered in a new era of reckoning, a diverse team of librarians and staff collaborated to curate this collection of print and digital materials to serve as an educational resource for the community. FFRPL helped create and promote the online resource guide, Understanding Black Experiences.
Monroe County Library System’s Racial Equity & Justice Initiative Team compiled the Black Lives Matter: An Anti-Racism Resource Page.

Central Library & FFRPL Celebrate Black History Month

Archived Black History Month programs, events, and resources

Enjoy books, music, movies, and more from our Hoopla and Overdrive collections.
Check Library availability for the book “I Have A Dream: Writings and Speeches that Changed the World” by Martin Luther King, Jr. here:
Check availability throughout the Monroe County Library System for books and other resources related to MLK, Jr. here
List of highlighted resources from Central Library’s Reynolds Media Center: Music, Documentaries and Theatrical Films, Audiobooks