It’s a pronunciation that simply polarises people.
LIBRARY.
The absolute correct pronunciation is ˈlai-brər-ɪ - that’s right - 3 syllables.
It is awkward to pronounce the two r sounds on either side of the ə in the second syllable which is unstressed and this makes us tend to drop the syllable completely, cutting straight to the third. Doing this IS NOT INCORRECT - it is what we call a reduced pronunciation.
Another thing that is confusing is that in Standard American English, the second syllable is stressed instead of the first (li-BRAR-i - say it out loud and you’ll hear the difference) and this also tends to change the vowel sound from a schwa (ə) to ɛ or e.
So it’s all really a matter of stress and precision. Either pronunciation is fine for everyday use: as always, be sensitive to the text if you stumble across it and decide which version might be appropriate.
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