Victoria Day Closure
All HPL branches are closed Monday, May 20 for the Victoria Day Holiday. Bookmobile Service and Study Halls are unavailable. Regular service hours resume Tuesday, May 21.
Central Library - Fire Training Drill
An unscheduled fire drill will take place in May during regular service hours at Central Library. Thank you for your understanding in advance.
Dundas and Turner Park Branches - Period Promise Campaign
Menstruation product donations can be dropped off at Dundas and Turner Park branches until May 31. For more information, please visit www.uwhh.ca/periodpromise.
City Directories
City directories were created for salesmen, merchants, and others interested in contacting residents of an area and are a valuable research tool to trace individuals, families and businesses. Directories were published annually and provide an alphabetical listing of the adult residents, with their occupation and address, as well as an alphabetical listing of streets, with the occupant at each house number. The directories also include listings of businesses, institutions, churches, schools, social organizations, and municipal services.
The Hamilton Public Library’s collection of City Directories cover the City of Hamilton Directory from 1853 to 2013. Suburban directories are also available for Ancaster, Burlington, Dundas, Stoney Creek and Waterdown from 1957 to 2013. Earlier Hamilton directories include suburban areas and smaller townships and villages; please see the guide for townships and villages.
Hamilton Public Library is currently digitizing all of the Hamilton City Directories in its collection. To access fully searchable and downloadable digital copies, visit the Local History & Archives site on Internet Archive.
Copies of the city directories are also available on microfilm in the Local History & Archives Department which is located on the 3rd floor of the Central Library. Please contact Local History & Archives for more information.