Network Maintenance - This Weekend
On Saturday, February 22, from 11 pm to 5 am on Sunday, February 23, City IT will perform network maintenance. Online resources (with the exception of Hoopla) will not be available. Thank you for your understanding.
Red Hill Branch – Taxes Now Listed Separately on Items and Services
Red Hill Branch is testing a pricing update where applicable taxes are now added and displayed separately on sale items, including HPL Shop and Makerspace items and services. Member receipts show the tax charged for each item. Black-and-white and color copying/printing remain tax-included.
This change will take effect at all branches starting February 25.
Central and Turner Park Branch - Large Format Printer Unavailable
The large format printer in the Makerspace is currently unavailable. Please utilize our other Makerspace locations if needed. We will advise once it is restored to service.
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.
History of City Hall
With the site fixed and design chosen, the next subject arose: Cherokee white marble versus Queenston limestone. The architects recommended the marble, which led to a weekend trip to New York City for the city hall committee to view some samples of buildings covered with this material. This visit was called "a preposterous waste of taxpayer's money" by Alderman John Munro. "It is absurd, as far as I am concerned...to appoint professional men, to hear their advice, to discuss that advice, and then to spend taxpayer's money in a wasteful journey to view the very stone that these same professional men say we should use in our new city hall," said Munro (62). Shortly after, it was proposed that they should be using Queenston limestone instead. "This is a city hall for Canadians, to be paid for by Canadians, and we can have stone mined by Canadians, and cut by Canadians, and then put in place by Canadians," said Controller McCoy. "My mind is made up - it's too bad about the colour" (63). Board of Control then voted 3-2 for limestone (63) and took their recommendation to City Council, which voted 13-6 for marble (64).
Some councillors thought affairs were getting out of hand. Alderman Ramsey Evans stated that "[t]he whole thing is a squalid nuisance" (65), and Alderman Cline reminded them of another potential area of controversy: "[d]espite the abundance of trees in this country ... we have been told that the hardwood required for interior panelling can only come from the United States" (63). Other recommendations were somewhat less controversial. It was suggested that the pictures of past mayors be hung in the main lobby, that there should be a shower provided in the mayor's bathroom and that there should be a separate room near the City Clerk’s department for the issuing of marriage licenses. "Marriage is a personal thing," murmured Mrs. Pritchard. Alderman Morison agreed that it was disturbing to be handed a dog license by mistake (63). Hopes were high for the new building: "[o]h, the new city hall is going to be gorgeous - there is no doubt about that! It's probably going to be the finest municipal edifice in the British Commonwealth of Nations" (66).
