All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, September 6 and Labour Day, Monday, September 7. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access is not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, September 8.
Labour Day - All HPL Branches Closed
Published:
Monday, August 31, 2026 - 2:45pm
Barton Branch - Construction in Area
Please note that Milton Avenue at Barton Street is under construction. Access to the parking lot is limited. Nearby street parking is available and an HSR route out front. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Monday, August 31, 2026 - 2:30pm
Print on the Go Currently Unavailable
The Print on the Go service is not working at all Branches. We aim to fix it as soon as possible.
Published:
Thursday, August 27, 2026 - 12:30pm
Concession Branch - Temporarily Reopening
Starting Thursday, August 27, the Branch has reopened to its regular hours with limited services for a few weeks while construction is paused. The interior construction of a new Makerspace will resume in mid-September. Stay tuned for more updates.
Published:
Thursday, August 27, 2026 - 8:00am
Delayed Openings and Closures
Due to Staff training, the following service modifications are planned.
- Turner Park: Wednesday, September 2, Noon-1 pm Closure
- Red Hill: Friday, September 18, Delayed Opening of 10 am
- Central Library: Tuesday, September 29, Delayed Opening of 10 am
Visit www.hpl.ca/hours for open alternate locations.
Published:
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 - 2:00pm
Bookmobile Schedule Modifications for September
Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications for September:
Please visit www.hpl.ca/bookmobile for updates on service modifications.
Tuesday, September 8
- Strathcona - Cancelled
- McMaster - Cancelled
Thursday, September 10
- Rockton and Millgrove visits moved to Saturdays (Starting September 12)
Saturday, September 12
- Stoney Creek - Cancelled
- Riverdale - Cancelled
Thursday, September 17
- Mohawk Gardens - Cancelled
- Meadowlands - Cancelled
Friday, September 18
- Winona - Cancelled
- Queen Victoria - Cancelled
Published:
Monday, August 24, 2026 - 9:30am
Study Halls Pause for Summer Break
After Hours Study Hall is not available in July and August. Hours will resume Tuesday, September 8. www.hpl.ca/study-halls
Published:
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - 3:00pm
-
Maps
These plans are valuable maps for building research. They are large scale maps that show shape, size and exact location of individual buildings. They provide detail about the construction materials, outbuildings and neighbourhoods.
-
Canadiana Collection
The Canadiana collection includes books about Canada, written by Canadians, published by Canadians, or having something to do with the history of Canada.
-
Research Your House
Research your house with our wealth of resources useful in historical building research.
-
Genealogy: Research Your Family
Local History & Archives has many resources to help you research your family history.
-
History of the Local History & Archives Department
A brief history of the LH&A Department of Hamilton Public Library
-
Government Documents Collection
Access more than 70,000 free Canadian Government publications, digitized by Internet Archive Canada.
-
Tax Assessment Records
Tax assessment records can help in accurate dating of the construction of the building as well as disclosing the original owner and a list of occupants.
-
Historical Records of the City of Hamilton
Historical records for the City of Hamilton
-
City Directories
City Directories show an alphabetical listing of street addresses which can be cross-referenced with an alphabetical listing of surnames.
-
Local History and Archives on Historypin
Historypin is an image-mapping project using archival photographs
-
Rare and Unusual
There are many rare and wonderful treasures in Local History and Archives.
-
The "Where-to-Look" Index
This amazing resource is an up-to-date source for finding information about Hamilton in Local History and Archives
-
Local History and Archives Rules of Use
Local History and Archives Rules of Use: an outline of member's responsibilities in partnering with staff to preserve the Local History and Archives collection
-
Where is LHA?
Visit Local History and Archives at Central Branch, 3rd floor.
-
Parks Police
In the early 1940's, vandalism and other occurrences began to increase in frequency in the parks. Fred Marshal, one of Hamilton's parks superintendents, worked to reverse this trend.
