All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, May 18, and Victoria Day, Monday, May 19. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access and Study Hall services are not available. Our Virtual Branch is open at hpl.ca.
On Tuesday, May 13, a fire drill will be held at 11 am at Central Library. You may visit the Barton or Locke Branches as alternate locations for your library needs. Thank you for your understanding.
Due to the ongoing roof repair project, noise and parking disruptions are expected to continue until the end of June. Thank you for your patience.
From Monday, May 5 to Saturday, May 31, the Ancaster Branch will be temporarily closed due to a roof and HVAC replacement. During this time, service hours will be available at the Ancaster Rotary Centre, 385 Jerseyville Road West, Ancaster. The last day to pick up your Holds is Thursday, May 1st. Thank you for your understanding.
The digital microfilm machines at Central Library are not working. A single analog machine is available, but it doesn't print. We aim to have the digital devices repaired as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The first phase of renovations will begin at the Sherwood Branch from April 10 to May 2. During this time, noise disruptions may occur throughout the branch due to a basement renovation. Parking, access to the building, and collections will not be affected. Thank you for your patience. www.hpl.ca/sherwood
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.
Black Mount Collection

This is the most used collection in Local History & Archives, as it is indexed in the department's "Where-To-Look." The images are arranged alphabetically by location (Ancaster, Barton, Hamilton, etc.) and then alphabetically by subject heading (Banks, Grocery Stores, Portraits, Schools, Streets, etc). Within each subject heading, they are arranged alphabetically by name, and then within each named unit, chronologically by date.
It is only the broad subject heading or name heading that is indexed in the "Where-To-Look." Other information, such as the names of stores on a King Street photograph, is not indexed.
Some of the photographs were copied by the HPL photographer. In cases where a negative exists, the negative number will be written on the back of the mount on the security label.
The entire Black Mount collections consists of roughly 20,000 images, ranging in date from the 1850's to the present.