Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton

Cold Weather Alert for the City of Hamilton January 22, 2026.

The temperature is expected to plummet below minus 15 Celsius. For warm place hours visit hpl.ca/hours

For a list of shelters and health information visit www.hamilton.ca/cold

Published:
Thursday, January 22, 2026 - 5:00pm
Parkdale Branch Accessible Washroom Out of Order

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

Published:
Thursday, January 22, 2026 - 3:30pm
Microsoft Service Outage affecting email delivery

Microsoft is currently experiencing an outage in the Office 365 services. This is causing some emails from @hpl.ca addresses to fail to be delivered. We appologize for the inconvenience. 

Published:
Thursday, January 22, 2026 - 3:30pm
Locke Branch - Filming Nearby

Filming will take place at 86 Homewood Avenue from January 28-30, 7 am-11 pm. Production vehicles and equipment will be located on the north side of Stanley Avenue between Locke Street South and Kent Street. This will impact the availability of side-street parking. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Thursday, January 22, 2026 - 3:00pm
Bookmobile Stops Cancelled

The Rockton Bookmobile visit (10:30-11:30am) today, Thursday, January 22 is cancelled. Service is expected to resume next week. 

Published:
Thursday, January 22, 2026 - 9:00am
Central Library - Sunday Hours Paused

Effective Sunday, February 1, Sunday service hours at Central Library will be paused. 

Sunday Hours will continue at Dundas, Red Hill, Terryberry, Turner Park, Valley Park and Waterdown Branches from 1-5pm.

www.hpl.ca/hours 

Published:
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 - 11:00am
Central Library - Daily Hours Update

Starting Monday, February 2, Central Library's daily hours will move back to a 9 am opening instead of 8 am, Monday through Saturday. Please make note of this new service change for your next visit. www.hpl.ca/hours 

Published:
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 - 11:00am
Central Library – Digital Microfilm Machines

The digital microfilm machines at Central Library are not working. A single analog machine is available in the Local History and Archives Reading Room. This reader does not support printing. We apologize for the inconvenience and aim to have the digital devices repaired as soon as possible.

Published:
Monday, January 19, 2026 - 1:45pm
Online Resources - Update

The following eResources have been recently discontinued in our HPL collections: Novelist, Summa, Summa Kids, and Northstar Digital Literacy. Please visit www.hpl.ca/articles/read-watch-listen for our full listing of online resources for your next read, watch, listen and/or learn.

Published:
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - 11:00am
Printing Updates

Daily print balances for black and white and colour printing change January 2, 2026. The new daily print balance is 40 cents. Members receive four free black and white copies or two free colour copies. 

Large format and vinyl printing pricing also change on January 2. Visit https://www.hpl.ca/makerspaces for updates.

Published:
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 2:00pm
Replacement and Damage Fees

Bring back your borrowed library items within 28 days to avoid a replacement or lost fee. We'll remove the fee when you bring back your overdue items. 

Published:
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 3:00pm

Media Releases

HAMILTON, ON – Jan 9, 2025 – Hamilton, if you need inspiration for your 2025 read, watch, listen lists, check out the top borrows from 2024.   Classics such as Anne of Green Gables were as popular among HPL cardholders last year as superstar Taylor Swift’s music and books by Jeff Kinney and Sarah J. Maas.  


HAMILTON, ON – August 29, 2024 – Award-winning playwright and performer Anna Chatterton is the 2024-25 Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer in Residence.


HAMILTON, ON – August 23, 2023 – Multi-award-winning local poet and author Jaclyn Desforges is the 2023-24 Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer in Residence.


HAMILTON, ON – June 19, 2024 – Hamilton Public Library (HPL) welcomed representatives from Internet Archive, Woodland Cultural Centre and Liberian Learning Center to HPL's Central Library on Monday (Jun 17) to emphasize the importance of digitally preserving the customs, cultures, languages, stories and histories of those silenced around the world.


HAMILTON, ON – June 10, 2024 – Hamilton Public Library’s Summer Reading Club is packed with fun and fascinating activities and reading adventures for kids and teens. Registration is now open. Get your free reading tracker, stickers, and book, earn prizes, and enter contests. Official Blast Off Parties are Friday June 28.  


HAMILTON, ON – May 3, 2024 – Hamilton Public Library invites you into a world of provocative short stories with this year's Hamilton Reads selection, the celebrated Chrysalis by Hamilton's Anuja Varghese. Winner of the 2023 Governor General's Literary Award, Chrysalis is a collection of genre-blending stories of transformation and belonging that centre around women of colour, queerness, family and community.


HAMILTON, ON – February 12, 2024 – Hamilton Public Library celebrates Black History Month and the life and legacy of Hamilton jazz legend Jackie Washington with a Noon Hour Concert by Blues musician Harrison Kennedy and Stewart Memorial Church Choir at Central Library February 16.


HAMILTON, ON – December 19, 2023 – Hamilton Public Library cardholders read and watched more than five million physical and digital items in 2023. Here are the Top 10 lists based on the most checked-out and renewed titles at HPL’s 23 branches and Bookmobile.


HAMILTON, ON – May 12, 2022 – First Canada issued a resounding well done for author Norma Dunning’s short story collection Tainna: The Unseen Ones. Now it’s Hamilton’s turn to do the same.


HAMILTON, ON – May 9, 2022 – Regional Indigenous artists and makers are setting up shop at Central Library on dedicated Saturdays starting in May with the launch of the Indigenous Market at HPL.


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