All HPL Branches are closed on Friday, May 30 for Staff Professional Development Day. Bookmobile is off the road and Extended Access service is not available. Our Virtual Branch is open at hpl.ca. Regular service hours resume Saturday, May 31. Thank you for your understanding.
All Branches Closed - May 30, Staff Professional Development
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Monday, May 12, 2025 - 8:00am
Bookmobile Service Cancellations
The following Bookmobile visits are cancelled this month. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Wednesday, May 14: Swansea and Helen Detwiler
Thursday, May 15: Rockton and Meadowlands
Mohawk Gardens, 2-2:30 pm instead
Bennetto, 4:30-5:30 pm instead
Friday, May 16: Huntington Park
Friday, May 30: Huntington Park, Winona, and Maplewood
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Published:
Friday, May 9, 2025 - 8:00am
Sherwood Branch Closure: Wednesday, May 14
In preparation for the 1st Floor renovations, the Sherwood Branch will be closed on Wednesday, May 14. It is expected to reopen on Thursday, May 15 with the completion of the basement renovation. Thank you for your understanding.
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Published:
Thursday, May 8, 2025 - 12:00pm
All Branches Closed - Victoria Day
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.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Thursday, May 1, 2025 - 9:30am
Central Library - Fire Drill
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.
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Published:
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 - 1:30pm
Turner Park Branch - Roof Repair
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.
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Published:
Monday, April 28, 2025 - 10:00am
Ancaster Branch - Temporary Closure, May 5-31
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.
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Published:
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - 11:00am
Central Library - Microfilm Machine
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.
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Published:
Thursday, April 10, 2025 - 3:30pm
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.
All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Thursday, April 3, 2025 - 10:30am
Project History
Aerial view of Hamilton's industrial harbourfront
The City of Hamilton's cybersecurity-related outage has affected some of the services offered by HPL. Our online image database PreView is unavailable, and we are unable to provide a timeline for its return. Some images, such as postcards, can be found online on Flickr. You are also welcome to visit the archives where photographs are available by request. Kindly note that such requests require specific subjects or people of interest, which can be researched in our Where-to-Look Index.
Since 1914, Hamilton Public Library has collected, preserved and curated historical materials, incuding, clipping files, archives, rare books, periodicals, historical memorabilia, pamphlets, photographs and topical scrapbooks on a wide range of topics about Hamilton. The collection includes more than three million images depicting the history of the city and surrounding areas dating from the mid-1800s.
The PreVIEW Digitization project started in October 2004 as a sustainable approach to digitization at Hamilton Public Library. Two-dimensional, non-textual historical images, including photographs, negatives, glass negatives, posters, maps, and postcards from the 1850s to the 1950s, were selected from the collection and targeted for digitization.
The project makes digital images accessible online, providing a resource for students, researchers, educators and the general public. It raises public awareness of the library’s tremendous resources through online exhibitions and library programs and lead to substantially increased use. Access is global, showcasing HPL's collection far beyond our traditional physical reach. Digitization also enables the preservation and conservation of the library’s image collections, and affirms a responsibility to protect rare materials while making them publicly accessible.
Our focus in the coming years is to digitize more of the collection and increase access to more images with the use of online digital formats. More than 13,000 historical images are available online, with high-resolution copies.
