Digital microfilm readers are not available at Central library branch until further notice. We're working on a repair. In the meantime a single analog reader is available in the Local History and Archives Reading Room
Digital Microfilm Readers Are Currently Unavailable
Published:
Monday, May 25, 2026 - 12:00pm
SmartPay Service Not Available
HPL's online payment service is not working. We aim to restore it quickly. Apologies for the inconvenience.
Published:
Friday, May 22, 2026 - 2:15pm
Bookmobile Service Modification
Due to Driver availability, Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications for the month of June. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Bookmobile Service June Modifications
Tuesday, June 2:
- McMaster University - Cancelled
Friday, June 5:
- Winona - Cancelled
- Queen Victoria - Cancelled
Saturday, June 6:
- All Regular Sites are Cancelled due to a Special Event
Published:
Friday, May 22, 2026 - 12:00pm
Staff Professional Development Day - All Branches Closed
All HPL Branches are closed on Friday May 29, for Staff Professional Development. Bookmobile is off the road and Extended Access service is not available. Regular service hours resume on Saturday May 30.
Visit our Virtual Branch at hpl.ca for our online resources and collections.
Published:
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - 12:00pm
Central Library: Children's Area Renovation on 2nd Floor
Renovations are currently underway for the 2nd Floor Central Children's Area. Programs are still being offered as scheduled and there is a temporary pop-up Children’s Area on the northeast side of the 2nd Floor (near the Piano Room), including access to collections and train tables. Construction is expected to be completed by late Spring. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Monday, March 23, 2026 - 9:00am
Sherwood Branch: Renovations
As of Monday, March 2, Sherwood Branch's 2nd Floor is closed due to renovations. Makerspace, Children and Teen's collection are temporarily available on the 1st Floor. All programs will be held in the basement program room. Renovations are expected to be completed in late Spring. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - 1:00pm
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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.
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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.
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Research Your House
Research your house with our wealth of resources useful in historical building research.
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Genealogy: Research Your Family
Local History & Archives has many resources to help you research your family history.
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History of the Local History & Archives Department
A brief history of the LH&A Department of Hamilton Public Library
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Government Documents Collection
Access more than 70,000 free Canadian Government publications, digitized by Internet Archive Canada.
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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.
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Historical Records of the City of Hamilton
Historical records for the City of Hamilton
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City Directories
City Directories show an alphabetical listing of street addresses which can be cross-referenced with an alphabetical listing of surnames.
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Local History and Archives on Historypin
Historypin is an image-mapping project using archival photographs
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Rare and Unusual
There are many rare and wonderful treasures in Local History and Archives.
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The "Where-to-Look" Index
This amazing resource is an up-to-date source for finding information about Hamilton in Local History and Archives
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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
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Where is LHA?
Visit Local History and Archives at Central Branch, 3rd floor.
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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.
