The women's washroom at Ancaster Branch will be unavailable on April 15 while undergoing maintenance.
Ancaster Branch Women's Washroom Out of Order - April 15
Published:
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 - 5:00pm
Printing Unavailable at Greensville Branch
Printing is not working at Greensville Branch. We aim to fix it as soon as possible.
Published:
Monday, April 13, 2026 - 6:15pm
Concession Branch - Renovations Underway
Renovations are expected to be completed by May 7. Construction repairs and noise may impact your next visit. Thank you for your understanding.
Published:
Monday, April 13, 2026 - 1:15pm
Turner Park - Study Hall Cancellations
Due to maintenance and construction, Study Hall is cancelled on Thursdays, April 16 and 23 (8pm-Midnight). The parking lot will also not be available on Thursday, April 23 (10pm-5am) and Friday, April 24 (10pm-5am). We apologize for the inconvenience.
Published:
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - 2:30pm
Mount Hope Branch - Delayed Opening, Monday, May 4
Due to Staff training, Mount Hope Branch will have a delayed opening of 2 pm on Monday, May 4. You may visit Turner Park Branch as the next nearest location for your library needs. Thank you for your patience.
Published:
Friday, March 27, 2026 - 8:00am
Central Library: Children's Area Renovation on 2nd Floor, March 30-April 27
Starting March 30, renovations for the 2nd floor Central Children's Area will begin. Programs will still be offered as scheduled and there will be 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. Thank you for your patience during this time.
Published:
Monday, March 23, 2026 - 9:00am
Bookmobile Service Modifications
Due to driver availability, Bookmobile is off the road for the following. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Thursday, April 16
- Rockton 10:30-11:30 am - Cancelled
- Mohawk Gardens 2:30-3 pm - Cancelled
- Meadowlands 3:30-4 pm - Cancelled
Tuesday, April 21
- Greencedar 5:30pm-6:30pm (instead of 4-5pm)
- Mountview 5:30-6:30 pm - Cancelled
Friday, April 24
- Winona 11 am-Noon - Cancelled
- Maplewood 2:30-4 pm - Cancelled
Tuesday, April 28
- McMaster 3:30-4:30 pm - Cancelled
Wednesday, April 29
- Swansea 10-10:30 am - Cancelled
- Helen Detwiler 11 am-Noon - Cancelled
- Warplane Museum 3-4 pm - Cancelled
Published:
Monday, March 16, 2026 - 10:15am
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
History of City Hall
Alderman Malcolm Cline imported a Wall Street management consultant, L. Edgar Detwiler. He proposed Hamilton erect an equivalent to Edmonton's famed Miracle Mile on the site of the Westdale dump. This site would contain the new City Hall, supermarkets, a farmer's cooperative, retail stores and underground parking. "Lord knows what we might come up with," declared the enthusiastic Mr. Detwiler. He assured staff that it could be financed with self-liquidating bonds, with the city providing the land and the services and the property being tax-free for the life of the contract (58). Mr. Detwiler hoped to be paid $50,000 for the economic analysis and plan. The discussion began again with proposals for new sites such as the McLaren's building at Park and Merrick, the Wilkinson-Kompass building and the I.O.O.F. Temple. The leading sites by this time were still the Princes’ Square and the H.C.C.I. locations. However, the decision was made to build beside the library on Main Street West.
Excavation begins for the new City Hall, 1958
With the site finally decided, the next decision was the design. Everyone agreed that the old city hall had to go but seemed equally insistent that parts of it should be kept to be incorporated into the new hall. One suggestion was to incorporate the old city hall clock into the design (59). The strangest suggestion came from Mayor Jackson. He hoped to have the old council chamber moved completely into the new city hall. This led to a spirited exchange between His Worship and the city architect Mr. Roscoe. "All I want from you," said the mayor, "is whether it's feasible. Never mind whether it's wise". Mr. Roscoe said it was feasible, but he would not do it. "No good modern architect would do it," said Mr. Roscoe. "Then maybe we should get an architect who is not good and modern and who would do it," replied the Mayor (60). A massive fall of plaster in the council chamber a few weeks later seemed to bear out the architect's arguments. The proposal was abandoned, albeit reluctantly, by the mayor (61).
