Due to poor air quality, Bookmobile will be cancelling all stops today, Thursday, July 16. Regular service is expected to return next week. Thank you for your understanding.
Bookmobile Stops Cancelled
Published:
Thursday, July 16, 2026 - 8:00am
Air Quality Warning
An Orange Air Quality Warning has been initiated for the City of Hamilton by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks beginning July 15, 2026. This alert will remain in effect until a cancellation notice is issued.
Stay safe, Hamilton. www.hpl.ca/hours
Published:
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 - 2:00pm
HPL Catalogue and Online Resources Not Available - Sunday, July 19
Due to online maintenance, Members can not access HPL's catalogue, online services and resources on Sunday, July 19 from 5am-10am. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Published:
Monday, July 13, 2026 - 3:00pm
Express Items via OverDrive - Partner Libraries Update
As of July 1st, partner library Members can no longer borrow HPL Express items via Overdrive. More to Borrow partner libraries will be offering Lucky Express (Skip the line) titles to their cardholders only. This will help manage wait times for popular titles. Lucky Express is a collection of in demand titles with a seven-day loan period, available with no wait.
Our partners will still be able to borrow titles from the rest of our collection.
www.hpl.ca/more-to-borrow
Published:
Monday, July 6, 2026 - 10:00am
What's Happening Guide Changes
The What's Happening Guide has been retired and replaced with different communications channels and tactics. You can find the new Summer Reading Flyer here. Watch for future communications updates.
Published:
Monday, June 29, 2026 - 3:00pm
Sunday Hours Return to Central Library
Sunday hours return to Central Library. Beginning July 5, Central is open Noon to 5pm. Dundas, Red Hill, Terryberry, Turner Park, Valley Park and Waterdown branches are also open Sundays, 1 to 5pm. hpl.ca/hours
Published:
Monday, June 29, 2026 - 1:00pm
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
Black Mount Collection
Ontario Furniture Company Fire, 1948-04-13
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.
