Study Halls Return September 2

Study Halls at Central Library and Dundas, Red Hill, Terryberry, Turner Park, Valley Park, and Waterdown branches resume on Tuesday, September 2. They will be open after-hours Mondays-Thursdays from 8 pm to Midnight. www.hpl.ca/study-halls 

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 - 2:15pm
Branch Closures - Labour Day

All HPL Branches are closed Sunday, August 30, and Labour Day, Monday, September 1st. Bookmobile is off the road, and Extended Access is not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, September 2. www.hpl.ca/hours

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 - 2:00pm
Bookmobile Stop Modified

Due to campus events, McMaster University's Bookmobile Visits for Tuesdays, August 26 and September 2 (3:30-4:30 pm) have been cancelled. Service is expected to resume on Tuesday, September 9. Thank you for your understanding.

1
Affected Branch: Bookmobile
Nearest Branches: 
Bookmobile Stop: 
Published:
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 - 12:00pm
Carlisle Branch Accessible Door Out of Order

The accessibility door at Carlisle Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.

1
Affected Branch: Carlisle Branch
Published:
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 - 10:15am
Turner Park - Rymal Road Entrance Unavailable

Due to continued concrete work, the Rymal Road entrance will be unavailable until Friday, August 30. Access to the parking lot, accessible parking spaces, back entrance, and external drop box is available. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 - 2:30pm
Turner Park - Mid-Day Fire Drill, September 3

Due to a mid-day fire drill, Turner Park Branch and Les Chater Family YMCA are closed for a fire drill from noon-1 pm. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Thursday, August 14, 2025 - 1:00pm
Kenilworth Branch - Temporary Closure (Sept 2 - Oct 10)

Due to roof repair maintenance, the Branch is temporarily closed from September 2 until October 10. Please visit the Red Hill, Parkdale, and Barton locations as your nearest branches for your library needs. On August 28-29, there may be some noise disruptions and limited parking spots while the roof repair set-up begins. Thank you for your patience.

1
Published:
Monday, August 11, 2025 - 8:00am

Archives

Hamilton Public Library Archives

This collection is the record of the history of the Hamilton Public Library itself. One of the earliest Public Libraries in Ontario, the Hamilton Public Library its 125th anniversary in 2015. The collection consists of minute books from 1889 to the present, committee minutes, photographs, architectural plans, accession books, financial records, branch library records, publicity materials, newspaper clippings, history, ephemera and other materials. There is a finding aid for the material contained in this collection. 

Hamilton and Hamilton-Wentworth Archives

The largest single component of Local History & Archives is the Archives Collection. This collection consists of material such as letters, photographs, manuscripts, diaries and other original records created by Hamilton and area citizens. There are records of local businesses and organizations, family papers, government records of the City of Hamilton and the County of Wentworth, military records, theatrical collections, music collections, ephemera, etc.

To find out what is contained in the Archival units you can use the Finding Aids that list the contents and the Where-to-Look.

Local History of Hamilton

This collection consists of thousands of books and pamphlets relating in some way to the history, politics, culture and industry of Hamilton, as well as many other aspects. Within this collection are almost 2,000 scrapbooks on topics of local interest including churches, elections, hospitals, crime, Hamilton Harbour, weather, theatre, sports, politics, historic houses, and people.