Staff Professional Development Day - All Branches Closed

All HPL Branches are closed on Friday, May 29, for Staff Professional Development Day. Bookmobile is off the road and Extended Access service is not available. Regular service hours resume on Saturday, May 30.

Visit our Virtual Branch at hpl.ca for our online resources and collections.

Published:
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - 12:00pm
Concession Branch - Filming in the Area

Please note that filming will take place nearby on the following dates.

May 18 – Filming Preparation (All Day)

May 19 – Filming (7am – 4pm), Concession Street (between Upper Wentworth and East 21st)

  • BIA Patio at 534 Concession will be temporarily removed on May 18 and reinstalled on May 20.
  • Traffic flow may be disrupted, and some parking spaces will be occupied by production vehicles and equipment.
Published:
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 - 8:00am
Greensville Branch Accessible Washroom Out of Order

The accessible washroom at Greensville Branch is not working. We aim to get it fixed quickly.

Published:
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 10:15am
All Branches Closed - Sunday, May 17

All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, May 17. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access service is not available.

Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, May 19. Visit hpl.ca for our Virtual Branch.

Published:
Monday, May 11, 2026 - 10:15am
All Branches Closed - Victoria Day, Monday, May 18

All HPL Branches are closed on Monday, May 18. Bookmobile is off the road. Extended Access and Study Hall services are not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, May 19. 

Published:
Monday, May 11, 2026 - 10:15am
Bookmobile Service Modification

Due to Driver availability, Bookmobile has the following schedule modifications for the month of May. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Wednesday, May 13:               

  • Swansea - Cancelled
  • Helen Detwiler - Cancelled
  • Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum - Cancelled

Thursday, May 14:                

  • Rockton - Cancelled
  • Mohawk Gardens - Cancelled
  • Meadowlands - Cancelled

Monday, May 18: All Bookmobile sites closed

Published:
Monday, May 4, 2026 - 12:00pm
Software Maintenance - Victoria Day, Monday, May 18

Due to software maintenance, HPL library's catalogue, online services and library accounts will not be available between 8am and 7pm on Monday, May 18. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Friday, April 24, 2026 - 9:00am
Central Library: Children's Area Renovation on 2nd Floor

Renovations are currently underway for the 2nd floor Central Children's Area. Programs are still being offered as scheduled and there is 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. Construction is expected to be completed by late Spring. Thank you for your patience during this time.

Published:
Monday, March 23, 2026 - 9:00am
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

Local History and Archives Policy

Access to Collections

Due to the rare and fragile nature of the Local History and Archives collections, access to collections housed in Local History and Archives is limited to persons consulting archival material and carrying out their research in the Local History and Archives Reading Room or other Library approved designated space. Within the Reading Room, library employees are on hand to provide assistance and proper supervision to ensure the safe care and handling of materials. Consistent with the Library’s Member and Service Commitment, Rules of Use outline researchers’ responsibilities in working with library employees to preserve the collection and are amended from time to time. 

In line with the Library’s Borrowing Policy, researchers consulting material in person will be required to show identification verifying their name and address prior to viewing items from the collections. This information, along with phone number or email address, will be recorded and retained for statistical and control purposes before being anonymized and destroyed after a set period consistent with Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. 

Local History and Archives balances a range of collections management, preservation and access priorities. Library employees do not provide research services, but can offer some direction and resources to researchers. This support may be limited in scope and duration and reassessed from time to time. Researchers are active participants in their work, including requesting specific material and interpreting their own findings.  

Local History and Archives utilizes archival, digital preservation, digitization and metadata standards to support analog and digital access to Local History and Archives collections. The Library supports the principle of open access with regard to digitization initiatives while upholding the terms of existing donor agreements, copyright and applicable law and legislation. 

Digitization of collections will be prioritized based on alignment with the Local History and Archives’ mandate, conservation issues, processing status and complexity, copyright, local relevance, public demand, digital preservation feasibility and access within existing resources. 

Barring the extent and terms of any restrictions, the legal rights and/or requests of the donor to place the records in the Archives, no person shall be prevented from using archival materials unless it is determined that the materials are unprocessed and present a conservation risk, will be physically abused or used in a libelous or illegal manner. Due to a range of media carriers, digital formats and technological obsolescence, Local History and Archives may not be able to provide a means to access the information contained in collection material. 

The Library retains the right to charge for any reproduction or other research service as per the Library Board’s Service Fees Policy