Library Branches in Rochester

  The Rochester Public Library, founded in 1911, consists of one Central Library located in the heart of downtown Rochester, and ten neighborhood branches located throughout the City. The Central Library campus is made up of two buildings: the historic Rundel Memorial Building, and the newer Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building, built in 1997. Both buildings are located at 115 South Avenue, between Broad and Court Streets. The downtown library acts as the Central Library for Rochester and Monroe County.

The ten Branch Libraries are divided into four quadrants, with one branch in each quadrant designated as the main branch.

The libraries in the Northeast Quadrant include:

• the Lincoln Branch (main), located at 851 Joseph Avenue
• the Sully Branch, located at 530 Webster Avenue.

The Northwest Quadrant contains three libraries:

• the Charlotte Branch, located at 3557 Lake Avenue;
• the Maplewood Branch (main), located at 1111 Dewey Avenue; and
• the Lyell Branch, located at 956 Lyell Avenue.

The libraries located in the Southeast Quadrant include

• the Winton Branch at 611 Winton Road North,
• the Monroe Branch (main) at 809 Monroe Avenue
• the Highland Branch at 971 South Avenue.

The Southwest Quadrant consists of

• the Arnett Branch  (main) at 310 Arnett Boulevard, and
• the Phillis Wheatley Branch at 33 Dr. Samuel McCree Way.

The Rochester Public Library is governed by an eleven member Board of Trustees, who are appointed by City Council. The library branches are funded directly by the City of Rochester, while the Central Library is funded by both the County and the City.