Cardinal Newman High School is having a Fire Drill today, Thursday, January 8 at 12:05 pm. Saltfleet Branch will not be open to the public during the duration of the fire drill. Thank you for your patience.
Saltfleet Branch - Fire Drill Today
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Published:
Thursday, January 8, 2026 - 9:00am
Terryberry Branch - Closed Today
Due to fumes in the elevator, Terryberry Branch is closed today, Thursday, January 8. Study Hall is also cancelled tonight. We apologize for the inconvenience.
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Published:
Thursday, January 8, 2026 - 8:30am
Online Resources - Update
The following eResources have been recently discontinued in our HPL collections: Novelist, Summa, Summa Kids, and Northstar Digital Literacy. Please visit www.hpl.ca/articles/read-watch-listen for our full listing of online resources for your next read, watch, listen and/or learn.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - 11:00am
Waterdown Branch Accessible Door Out of Order
The accessibility door at Waterdown Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.
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Published:
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - 12:00pm
Printing Updates
Daily print balances for black and white and colour printing change January 2, 2026. The new daily print balance is 40 cents. Members receive four free black and white copies or two free colour copies.
Large format and vinyl printing pricing also change on January 2. Visit https://www.hpl.ca/makerspaces for updates.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 2:00pm
Replacement and Damage Fees
Bring back your borrowed library items (due Oct 1 or later) within 28 days to avoid a replacement or lost fee. We'll remove the fee when you bring back your overdue items.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm
Ice Harvesting
The ice harvest on Hamilton Harbour was considered by some to be the first harvest of the year. During the winter months the ice companies had to lay up enough ice to get the city residents through the sweltering summer months.
Ice harvesters cut out the first blocks as best they can to make an open space. With the removal of each block a longer channel opens. Horses are brought in and the big ice blocks are towed shoreward along these open channels.
The great ice sheds along the bayfront were filled to capacity during this harvest and you could see sleighs loaded with blocks of ice moving up the streets constantly.
One ice firm in the 1920's prided itself on cutting 4 tons of ice per minute for a total of 2,000 tons of ice daily.
With the increasing popularity of electric refrigeration, as well as the growing pollution of the bay's waters, the picturesque job of ice harvesting gradually faded away.
