Barton Branch - Re-opening March 21 at 9 am
Barton Branch will reopen on Friday, March 21, at 9 am. Due to the roof repair project, noise and parking disruptions will continue until April 8. Thank you for your patience.
Maintenance Work
Members will not have access to eResources, such as OverDrive, or be able to place holds or renewals from March 22 at 11pm to March 23 at 6:30am, due to network maintenance work. Thank you for your patience.
Turner Park - Roof Repairs
From March 26 until June 30, the Turner Park Branch will undergo a roof repair. There may be parking lot and noise disruptions. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Central Library - 4th Floor Temporary Closure
The Blk Owned Vendor Market is running on the 4th Floor of Central Library on Saturday, March 22, If you are looking for study spaces, use Floors 1-3. The 4th Floor Makerspace and Newcomer Learning Centre are open.
Mount Hope Branch - Photocopying and Scanning Temporarily Not Available
As of Tuesday, March 18, photocopying and scanning are temporarily not available at the Mount Hope Branch. The estimated time of disruption is unknown. Thank you for your patience.
Phishing Scheme
Please be aware of online phishing attempts impersonating Hamilton Public Library and Library Staff. HPL does not solicit paid freelance opportunities through social media or other messaging applications. HPL does not request personal or banking information through social media or require financial compensation when reviewing job applications. Please report phishing schemes to communications@hpl.ca. If you think you are a victim of fraud, please call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
Beckett Collection
Hubert William Beckett (ca1892-1967) was born in Hamilton. After gaining some renown as an amateur photographer of children, he opened a professional studio in 1925, on James Street South, and was active as a portrait photographer until his deathin 1967 at age 75.
In November of 1972, his collection of negatives and filing cards was delivered to the Hamilton Public Library. This collection consisted of 35.4 metres of photographic negatives, with the corresponding index cards.
In 1977, approximately 14,000 of the negatives were found to be on a cellulose acetate base and therefore highly flammable. These negatives were duplicated and the originals destroyed.
There are approximately 26,000 negatives in the Beckett Collection.
Finding Aid: There is an in-house finding aid to this collection
